ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Q4 2019: Polish companies expect moderate hiring in the next quarter

According to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey published today, Polish employers report cautiously optimistic hiring intentions for the forthcoming quarter. With 13% of employers anticipating an increase in payrolls, 5% forecasting a decrease and 81% expecting no change, the resulting Net Employment Outlook is +9%. Hiring intentions are unchanged in comparison with the previous quarter but decline by 4 percentage points when compared with this time one year ago.

The South-West is the best place in Poland for job seekers

Employers expect to add to payrolls in all six regions during the last quarter of 2019. South-West employers report the strongest hiring plans with a Net Employment Outlook of +17%. Respectable workforce gains are also expected in the South when an Outlook stands at +14%. The modest labor market is anticipated in the other regions of the country. However, the weakest regional Outlook of +3% is reported in the North.

In comparison with the previous quarter, hiring prospects strengthen in three of the six regions, with the South improving the most by 6 percentage points. However, Outlooks also declined in three regions. The largest decrease is reported in the Central region with an Outlook of +$5, 3 percentage points lower than last quarter.

Hiring intentions weaken in four of the six regions when compared with this time one year ago. The most noteworthy decline of 12 percentage points is reported in the North-West. Meanwhile, South-West employers report some improvement of 6 percentage points.

Manufacturing bosses plan to take on more staff next quarter

Employers in all 10 industry sectors expect to increase payrolls during the next three months. Manufacturing sector employers report the strongest hiring prospects with a steady Net Employment Outlook of +15%. Favorable workforce gains are anticipated in the Construction sector where the Outlook stands at +13% and in the Mining & Quarrying sector with an Outlook of +12%. In the Electricity, Gas & Water Supply sector and in the Transport, Storage & Communication sector Outlooks stand at +11%. The weakest labor market is anticipated in the Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry & Fishing sector with an Outlook of +2%.

In comparison with the last quarter of 2019, hiring plans strengthen in six of the 10 industry sectors. The most notable improvements of 12 percentage points are reported in the Electricity, Gas & Water Supply sector. However, employers in four sectors report weaker hiring intentions. The most significant decrease of 7 percentage points is reported by the Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry & Fishing sector.

Employers in eight of the 10 industry sectors report weaker hiring prospects when compared with this time one year ago. The most noteworthy decrease of 11 percentage points is reported in the Finance & Business Services sector. However, hiring intentions strengthen in two of the 10 analyzed sectors, most notably by 5 percentage points in the Electricity, Gas & Water Supply.

Large companies are the most optimistic in their employment plans

Payroll gains are forecast for all four organization size categories during the coming quarter. Large employers report solid hiring plans with a Net Employment Outlook of +24%, while an Outlook stands at +13% for Medium employers. However, Small and Micro employers anticipate reserved hiring activity, reporting Outlooks of +1%.

Medium employers report a moderate improvement of 5 percentage points when compared with the previous quarter, but the Outlook declines by 3 percentage points in the Small-size category. Meanwhile, Large employers report relatively stable hiring prospects. In a year-over-year comparison, hiring intentions decline by 10 percentage points for Small employers, and are 5 percentage points weaker for Large- and Micro-size firms.

EMEA forecast mixed

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey of hiring prospects for the final quarter of 2019 includes interviews with more than 21,000 employers across 26 Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region countries. Employers in 25 of the 26 countries anticipate an increase in payrolls during the next three months, with employers in only one country, Spain, report a flat outlook. The highest forecasts were obtained in Greece (+ 18%), Slovenia (+ 17%), Norway (+10) and Sweden (+10%). Taking into account the data for our neighboring countries, in Slovakia the outlook stand at +6%, in Germany +5% and in the Czech Republic +2%.

The ManpowerGroup report is available free of charge to the public and can be downloaded from www.manpowergroup.pl. Results for all 44 countries can be viewed in the new interactive Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Explorer tool at http://manpowergroup.com/meos.