Globally, employers plan to continue to bring workers in at rapid pace for the new year finds the latest anniversary edition of the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey of more than 6,000 employers.

In the U.S., Hiring intentions strengthen by 26 percentage points from Q1 2021 and remain higher than pre-pandemic for the second consecutive quarter.

"This is the most optimistic Q1 report we have seen in since the survey began six decades ago as employers continue to bring workers back into the labor market and the reconciliation between what workers want and what employers need continues" said Becky Frankiewicz, President, ManpowerGroup North America. "The gap between supply and demand narrowing - employers accept that good wages are now table stakes, and that employees are seeking more flexibility and more purpose in their lives. We have made great progress in moving closer to what workers want yet we still have some work to do to ensure these strong hiring plans translate to meaningful job opportunities."

"The post-pandemic hiring recovery that has been underway for some time will continue to carry momentum into 2022 with employers predicting strong demand for talent across key sectors," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. "Companies all over the world need skilled workers to meet their business objectives and fully participate in the economic global recovery. Talent shortages continue and employers are competing with a talent pool that has not full returned to labor markets due to the pandemic. Organizations need to embrace bold thinking on where, when, and how work gets done to meet what workers want while balancing the requirements of business."

Global Optimism

An increase in payrolls is expected by employers in 41 of the 43 countries and territories surveyed by ManpowerGroup for the coming quarter, while employers in two anticipate a reduction in staffing levels. When compared with the previous quarter, employers report stronger hiring prospects in 31 of the 43 countries and territories, while hiring sentiment weakens in 10 countries and territories and is unchanged in two. In a comparison with the fourth quarter of 2020 – when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing across much of the globe – employers in all 43 countries and territories anticipate stronger labor markets. The strongest hiring intentions for the October to December time frame are reported in the United States, India, Canada, the Netherlands, Mexico and France. Meanwhile, employers in Panama, South Africa, Singapore, Croatia and Argentina anticipate the weakest hiring activity in the coming quarter.

• Digital roles most in demand: IT, Technology, Telecoms, Communications & Media reported the strongest outlook (+60%), followed by Banking, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate (+50%) and Construction (+41%). The weakest hiring intentions were found in Other Industry (+27%) and Not-for-profit (+29%).
• Employers know flexibility is the key to attracting workers in a tight labor market: Organizations expect 44% (of finance, admin, and HR) and 43% (of IT) workforce to work a hybrid mix of onsite 2-3 days in the workplace and remote the remaining days. This is a substantial change since Q2 2021, when only 22% of organizations predicted a shift to a hybrid model.
• Not all roles will be hybrid:  whereas roles in IT and Finance are more likely to be full-time remote (21%).
• Employers know flexibility is the key to attracting workers in a tight labor market. Organizations expect 51% of roles within the finance sector and 29% of the production workforce to work flexibly in 2022. This ranges from offering 100% home working options for knowledge workers to schedule flexibility in manufacturing - with shorter shift patterns to accommodate caring responsibilities. Some industries will struggle with this - the Manufacturing and Production industries are most likely to be in the workplace all of the time (46%)

Breakdown by Regions

Americas: Employers in both the U.S (+41%) and Canada (+37%) expect optimistic hiring levels for Q1 2022.

• Employers in the U.S. report positive hiring intentions despite a five percentage point decline from last quarter. Year-over-year, the U.S. improves 26 percentage points and Canada 32.
• With an employment outlook of +60%, employers in the North America IT sector report the strongest hiring intentions, the weakest are reported in the Not-for-Profit sector including NGOs and charity organizations (+29%).
• In the LATAM region, hiring sentiment strengthens in all eight countries when compared with the previous quarter. The strongest hiring plans in the region are reported in Peru (+51%), followed by Brazil (+47%) and Mexico (+45%).

EMEA: Hiring intentions improve in 22 countries and decline in one compared with Q4, 2020 (France -1%).

• The strongest regional hiring plans are reported in Ireland (+47%), Portugal (+37%), and The Netherlands (+47%), while employers make the weakest forecasts in the Czech Republic (+14%), Greece (+16%) and Hungary (+19%).
• Employers in the UK report an optimistic outlook of +32% with employers in London planning the most optimistic hiring.
• The employment outlook in France improved 24 points year-over-year and dropped 2 points on last quarter. Employers in the French Banking, Finance, Insurance and Real Estate sectors report the strongest outlooks, the weakest are reported in Manufacturing and Restaurants and Hotels.

APAC: Hiring sentiment strengthens in 5 countries and territories quarter-on-quarter while weakening in two; Singapore and Taiwan.

• The strongest hiring prospects are reported in India (+49%), followed by Australia (+37%) and Hong Kong (+37%), while the weakest regional labor market is expected in Japan (+11%), Taiwan (+13%) and Singapore (+14%) – the three weakest globally.
• Emerging from the national lockdowns of the past few months, employers in Australia predict a strong outlook of +37% growing by 25-percentage points since the last quarter.
• China boasts a strong outlook of +25% In the first quarter of 2022 with Education, Health, Social Work and Government reporting the most positive hiring outlooks (+49%).

To view complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, visit: manpowergroupusa.com/meos.

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