FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Veronica Blatt, Director of Corporate Communications
vblatt@npaworldwide.com
+1 616 871-3323
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, USA – August 23, 2024 – NPAworldwide, the leading global recruitment network consisting of independent firms, conducted its latest Barometer Survey in August 2024, with 181 member firms participating from around the world. The results indicate a mixed outlook for the recruiting industry ranging from cautious to optimistic based on sector.
The sectors reported to have been the strongest in the last 180 days were manufacturing / supply chain, technology and accounting / finance. This is consistent with results from the February 2024 survey. Notes NPAworldwide President, Kerry Crockett, “The manufacturing and supply chain sector is adding a record number of jobs with a reported 250,000 expected to be added by 2025 in the US alone. While this bodes well for the industry, challenges remain with filling existing jobs as well as newly created ones.”
While 42% of respondents indicated a decline in business over the last 180 days, this has improved slightly since the February survey with varying degrees of improvement. 50% of respondents report optimism for the coming months, down from February 2024 in which 62% had a positive outlook. The primary source of this decline in outlook has been the lack of available jobs to source for per respondents.
Additional demographic information from the Business Barometer survey indicated:
- 47% of respondents were located in North America; 21% in Australia / New Zealand; 19% in Asia; 11% in EMEA; and 2% in Latin America
- 49% report the majority of their recruiting business is done in North America; 20% in Australia / New Zealand; 17% in Asia; 12% in EMEA; and 2% in Latin America
- 66% of responding members’ business is a mix of both clients and candidates
“As we navigate the evolving landscape of the recruitment industry, this latest Business Barometer Survey underscores both the challenges and opportunities ahead. While certain sectors and regions face headwinds, the resilience and adaptability of our global network remain strong. The cautious optimism expressed by our members reflects their commitment to finding innovative solutions and maintaining a balanced focus on both clients and candidates.” said Crockett.
About NPAworldwide. NPAworldwide is a recruitment network facilitating placements between its members. The network has more than 550 member offices across 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.npaworldwide.com or www.npaworldwideworks.com.
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