Global Hiring Maintains Momentum for Q2: Employers in Tech, Finance and Manufacturing Report Most Optimistic Plans

• Positive employment outlooks reported by employers in 39 of 40 countries  – with 36 reporting stronger hiring prospects year-over-year
• Strongest hiring plans reported by employers in Brazil, India and Sweden
• Tech skills remain most in-demand as digitization accelerates and employers continue to compete for talent
• ManpowerGroup calls for fast action from business and governments to support humanitarian efforts so refugees can access meaningful work opportunities

MILWAUKEE, March 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Strong hiring optimism continues into the second quarter of 2022, according to the Q2 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey (NYSE: MAN) of 41,000 employers published today*. Employers in 36 of 40 countries report stronger hiring intentions than this time last year with greatest demand in IT, Finance, and Manufacturing. Demand for skilled workers remains at record highs as employers seek to attract and retain the best, diverse talent as employers embrace the post-pandemic era.

“Labor markets around the world are looking strong for Q2, with hiring outlooks back at pre-pandemic levels in most countries,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. “Any impact of the Ukraine crisis is not reflected in employer hiring intentions.  While Poland and neighboring countries are dealing with the humanitarian crisis, we must be poised to help resettlement and employment efforts for refugees, adapting roles and requirements to fill vacancies and create new opportunities.”

“At ManpowerGroup we are working fast to leverage our experience integrating refugees into labor markets from other countries – for example from Syria to Germany, Afghanistan to U.S. – and to adapt and scale reskilling and upskilling programs specifically targeted to this population. Now is the time for collaboration between employers and governments to make it as fast and simple as possible to integrate refugees into the workforce so they can earn a living, contribute to society, and most importantly feel welcomed in their new surroundings.”

KEY FINDINGS

• Strongest hiring plans for employers in Brazil (+40%), India (+38%), Mexico (+38%), and Sweden (+38%); weakest reported in Greece (-2%), Poland (+5%) and Japan (+6%).
• Outlooks improve year-over-year in 36 countries with the strongest improvements reported by employers in South Africa, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Sweden and the Netherlands.
• Employers in North America report the most optimistic regional outlook of 38% followed by South and Central America (+35%), APAC (+28%) then EMEA (+22%).
• Labor shortages drive worker demand across sectors: Manufacturing (+31%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+29%) and Primary Production (+27) report strong hiring intentions as employers continue to struggle to fill roles requiring workers to be on site.
• The weakest (though improved) hiring intentions were reported in Restaurants and Hotels (20%) as hospitality continues to recover following the outbreak of the Omnicron variant at the end of 2021.

Global Hiring Plans by Region

EMEA: Employers report positive hiring intentions in 22 of 23 countries during the next three months. The only negative outlook is reported by employers in Greece.

• Year-over-year hiring sentiment improves in 20 and declines in only 3 countries, Greece, Poland, and Romania.
• Strongest improvements reported in Sweden (+38%), Netherlands (+36%) and Belgium (+34%); weakest in Greece (-2%), Poland (-5%) and Romania (-7%).
• In France and Germany, Paris (+25%) and Munich (+33%) report some of the most optimistic City outlooks in the region, driven by employers in IT and Finance.

North America: Both U.S. (+35%) and Canada (+37%) report  strong hiring levels for Q2 2022.

• Employers in Canada report a slightly stronger outlook than last quarter (+2%), while the U.S. shows a small decline for the second quarter (-6%).
• Hiring managers in both countries expect hiring to be significantly stronger compared to intentions year-over-year, +27 percentage points in Canada and +16 in the U.S.
• In the U.S., employers report the strongest outlooks (+51%), those in Education, Health, Social Work and Government (+27%) report the weakest.

Central & South Americas: Positive hiring intentions are forecast for all eight countries in South and Central America during Q2 2022.

• Strongest hiring plans are reported in Brazil (+40) then Colombia (+38%); weakest in Argentina.
• Compared with previous quarter, seven countries see intentions weaken, while Panama shows a small increase (+2% percentage points).
• The outlook in the region has improved 40 points when compared with the previous year, and 22 points since last quarter.

APAC: In all seven Asia Pacific countries and territories employers report positive and improved hiring intentions for the next three months.

• Strongest hiring plans are reported in India (+38%) Australia (+28%) and China (+28%), while the weakest hiring plans are expected in Japan (+6%), Taiwan (+7%) and Hong Kong (+9%).
• Hiring sentiment strengthens in China and Singapore compared to Q1 and weakens in Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Hong Kong.

*Data was collected in January 2022, before the conflict in Ukraine, the next MEOS report will be published on May 27.

To view complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, visit: https://go.manpowergroup.com/meos. The next survey will be released in May 2022 and will report hiring expectations for the third quarter.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind, used globally as a key economic indicator. The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP

ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity – as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability and in 2022 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 13th year – all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent.