ManpowerGroup has released its global Employment Outlook Survey results for the upcoming fourth quarter. Payrolls are expected to grow in 43 of the 44 countries that participated in the survey. The other country expects a flat hiring environment. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, 15 of the surveyed countries expect stronger hiring, 23 countries expect less hiring, while the final six report no change. The breakdown is identical when compared to the fourth quarter of 2018. The labor market globally remains strong. Some of the survey highlights include:
The Americas
- Ten countries in the Americas participated in the survey. Employers in all ten countries expect increased hiring in the upcoming quarter. Hiring plans are led by employers in the United States, which has been the case for the past two years. The most robust sectors include leisure & hospitality, professional & business services, and wholesale & retail trade. While continued hiring is expected, it is at a slower pace than the 13-year high reported in Q3.
- Hiring plans in Mexico are at their weakest levels in nine years, with commerce and manufacturing both at decade-low prospects. The outlook for the agriculture & fishing sector, however, is at a five-year high.
- Employers in Brazil are fairly optimistic and report that moderate hiring will continue. Payroll growth is expected in all eight industry sectors as well as all five geographic regions.
Asia Pacific
- Payroll expansion is forecast in each of the eight countries surveyed, with Japan leading the region for the sixth consecutive quarter. Sectors that are particularly strong in Japan include mining & construction, services, and finance, insurance & real estate.
- Chinese employers expect continued hiring increases in the upcoming quarter. However, the rate of growth declines on both a quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year basis.
- The outlook in India is at its highest level since early 2018. This is especially buoyed by strong hiring plans in both the public administration & education and wholesale & retail trade sectors.
- The Australian market continues to grow, although at a slower pace than last year. Significant hiring decreases are anticipated in the mining & construction and finance, insurance & real estate sectors.
Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA)
- Look for increased hiring in all of the surveyed countries except Spain, which predicts a flat labor market. The four largest economies in Europe – Germany, France, the UK and Italy – all anticipate headcount expansion.
- Greek employers are experiencing a robust hiring pace. In fact, this is the strongest outlook in the region. Growth is particularly strong in the wholesale & retail trade sector, which is at its highest since the survey began 11 years ago.
- Hiring plans across Eastern Europe are decidedly mixed for Q4. While Slovenia reports strong labor demand, the pace has slowed down in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
Recruiters and their clients should feel comfortable that there will be plenty of job openings through the end of the year. As always, the struggle will be in locating the candidates that are needed to fill these roles. What is hiring like in your niche? Your geography? Add a comment below!