Employers in 18 countries report more optimistic hiring prospects than the previous quarter according to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey of 60,000 employers in 44 countries. The greatest quarter-over-quarter improvements are reported in Slovenia, Turkey, Australia and Brazil while employers in Germany, Belgium and Hong Kong report weaker yet still positive outlooks since Q2.
Employers in the majority of EMEA countries are predicting modest hiring Outlooks with improved hiring plans expected by employers in Slovenia, Turkey, Norway, Bulgaria and Romania while the remaining 21 markets remain flat or decline. Hungary is the only market of the 44 surveyed showing negative hiring intentions for the three months ahead. Employers across the Americas and Asia Pacific region report some of the most optimistic Outlooks globally with the U.S. reporting the strongest Outlook in 13 years (+21 per cent), Australia the strongest in seven years (+14 per cent) and Brazil the strongest in 5 years (+11 per cent).
“We’re seeing significant variation across global labour markets” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup chairman & CEO. “Employers in Europe plan modest yet varied hiring as uncertainty and unpredictability around trade wars and Brexit continues, while in the US and some parts of the Asia Pacific region organisations are planning to hire at levels we haven’t seen for many years. Overall, employers around the world are increasingly looking for specific technical and soft skills and are struggling to fill both temporary and permanent positions. Leaders across all industries are focused on the need to upskill people in short cycles at speed and at scale to ensure they have the talent they need when they need it.”
Global Hiring Plans by Region
EMEA: The strongest Outlooks reported in Croatia (+23 per cent), Greece and Slovenia (+20 per cent) with hiring in many of the region’s larger economies remaining stable.
· Quarter-over-quarter hiring intentions weaken in 14 countries, remain flat in 7 and increase in 5.
· Hiring intentions in Germany are slightly down on a quarterly and yearly basis, driven by a dip in hiring prospects reported by Manufacturing, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services sector employers.
· Hungary is the only country of 44 surveyed expecting to reduce the number of employees over the next quarter (-2 per cent), a two-percentage point decline since Q2.
Americas: All 10 countries in the region expect to increase their headcount with the U.S. reporting an Outlook of +21 per cent, the strongest in 13 years.
· Employers plan strong summer hiring in the U.S. led by Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality and Transportation & Utilities.
Regionally, the West (+22 per cent) and the Midwest (+21 per cent) have the most optimistic regional Outlooks and the highest reported Outlooks in 11 and 18 years, respectively.
· Brazilian employers report their strongest Outlook in five years (+11 per cent). Positive hiring is anticipated in all eight industry sectors and all five regions with the strongest reported in Agriculture, Fishing & Mining, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate and the Wholesale & Retail Trade.
· In Mexico employers predict the weakest yet still positive quarterly Outlook in more than two years (+10 per cent), driven by weakening hiring sentiment in the Agriculture, Fishing and Commerce sectors are prevalent in Mexico.
Asia Pacific: The Asia Pacific region continues to have the highest Outlook globally with hiring prospects strongest in Japan (+25 per cent) and Taiwan (+22 per cent).
· Hiring sentiment in Japan is the strongest of all 44 countries (+25 per cent) with employers planning to add headcount in all seven industry sectors and all three regions.
· Australian employers report their strongest hiring intentions in seven years (14 per cent) fuelled by the Transportation & Utilities and Services sectors.
· The employment Outlook in China remains relatively stable in comparison with the prior quarter, although Chinese employers report a slight decline year-over-year of -2 per cent.
*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.
