Manpower Group has released its employment outlook survey for the first quarter of 2018. The survey asks some 59,000 employers across 43 countries to indicate their hiring plans for the upcoming quarter compared to the current quarter. US hiring plans are at their strongest levels in a decade, which certainly bodes well for recruitment firms who are working with US-based employers. Some of the other highlights include:
The Americas
- US hiring plans are the strongest in this region, with more than 20% of employers planning to increase headcount in the upcoming quarter. Demand is expected to be strongest in the leisure & hospitality and transportation & utilities sectors.
- Hiring plans in Peru are on the upswing after two consecutive quarters of slower growth. Compared to both the previous quarter and the previous year, growth is anticipated in most industry sectors.
- Hiring intentions in Canada are at their strongest levels since the fourth quarter of 2013. Activity in the transportation & public utilities sector is expected to be at its highest levels in nearly 30 years.
- Brazil’s employment forecast, while modest, is continuing to make incremental gains after a fairly long downturn. Current hiring plans are the best reported in three years.
Asia Pacific
- After a very prolonged downturn in the mining & construction sector, Australian employers are expected to hire at their strongest levels since 2011. Overall hiring projections in Australia climb to a six-year high.
- Taiwanese employers reported the most positive outlook in the region. More than 25% of employers expect to add to their payrolls, with especially strong prospects in both finance, insurance & real estate and manufacturing.
- Hong Kong is also expecting robust hiring in the upcoming quarter, particularly in the services, wholesale & retail trade, and finance, insurance & real estate sectors.
EMEA
- The more than 20,000 employers in EMEA report mixed outlooks for the upcoming quarter.
- Romania and Slovenia are reporting expected growth, especially in manufacturing.
- Modest growth is anticipated in the UK, but it is slowing to its lowest levels in more than five years, likely due to Brexit uncertainty.
- The weakest outlooks are coming from both Austria and Italy, where employment levels are expected to remain flat.
As always, please share what you are seeing and hearing from employers in your geography! For those working in the United States, what kinds of US hiring plans are you expecting?
