Manpower has released its Global Employment Outlook Survey for Q4 2016. This survey asks some 59,000 employers in more than 40 countries to answer a single question: “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of December 2016 as compared to the current quarter?” The results show that staffing levels are expected to increase in 42 of 43 countries surveyed. Just over half of survey respondents are reporting increases over the previous quarter, with just under half expecting year-over-year growth. Highlights from each major geographic region follow:
The Americas
- All countries surveyed, except Brazil, are expected to add to their payrolls this quarter.
- Regional hiring is strongest in the USA, buoyed by a strong leisure & hospitality sector. Wholesale & retail trade plus transportation & utilities also reported positive hiring signs.
- Hiring in Canada is improving on both a quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year basis.
- Strong manufacturing in Mexico, particularly in the automotive industry, indicates a good hiring climate even though activity has slipped somewhat compared to both last quarter and last year.
- Brazil has been reporting hiring declines since Q1 2012. While the current survey still shows a negative outlook, hiring activity is beginning to show some signs of improvement.
Asia Pacific
- Once again, India boasts the most robust hiring climate in the region, marking its fifth consecutive quarter in the top spot. More than 30% of those surveyed reported they will be adding to their payrolls during the last three months of the year.
- Japan continues to experience a double-whammy of both an aging population and a shrinking labor pool. On top of that, preparations for the 2020 Olympics may be fueling the strong employment outlook in the mining & construction sector.
- There are finally sustained signs of an improved hiring climate in Australia, with positive survey results in every industry sector. It appears that efforts to diversify the country’s employment beyond mining are beginning to bear fruit.
- Demand for new residential construction remains high in New Zealand as large numbers of Australians are moving there, and many ex-pat New Zealanders are returning home.
EMEA
- Ireland is now reporting its strongest employment outlook since Q2 2007, especially in the electricity, gas, & water and restaurants & hotels sectors.
- Despite conflicting reports about the Brexit referendum, nearly 90% of employers will keep their payrolls intact through the end of the year. There is no change in the employment outlook on either a quarter-over-quarter or year-over-year basis.
- The manufacturing sector is quite robust in Germany, having made steady gains for the the past two years.
- Spanish employers are reporting Q4 hiring plans in 8 of the 10 surveyed industry sectors.
- Among the Nordic countries, the best opportunities will be in the Finnish manufacturing sector, and the Swedish finance & business services sector.
Manpower’s Global Employment Outlook Survey is the largest of its kind, conducted from a representative sample of employers. Survey participants are not derived from Manpower customers. What are the strong industry sectors in your part of the world? What is the hiring outlook like in your region? Comment below!
