ManpowerGroup report: 35% of Polish companies plan new hires, 19% anticipate layoffs in Q4 2024

According to the latest ManpowerGroup Barometer, 35% of companies in Poland plan to hire new employees in the fourth quarter of 2024, while 19% anticipate layoffs. Meanwhile, 42% of employers do not foresee any changes to their workforce. The Employment Outlook for Poland stands at +15%, reflecting a 2-percentage-point decline year-over-year but remaining steady from the previous quarter.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey indicates a stabilizing trend in the Polish labor market, with the hiring sentiment holding steady for another quarter. “This stability is encouraging, as it suggests that despite global and domestic economic uncertainties, many organizations are committed to strengthening their teams and pursuing growth,” said Tomasz Walenczak, CEO of ManpowerGroup Poland.

The survey highlights positive hiring intentions across six of the eight sectors analyzed. The transport, logistics, and automotive sectors are expected to offer the most job opportunities, followed by IT and consumer goods and services. In contrast, sectors such as energy and utilities (-24%) and communication services (-31%) are preparing for potential staff reductions.

Optimistic hiring forecasts are particularly pronounced in the transport, logistics, and automotive sector (+28%) and IT (+27%). Additionally, the consumer goods and services sector (+25%), industry and raw materials (+23%), life sciences and healthcare (+16%), and finance and real estate (+12%) are also showing significant hiring intentions.

Mid-sized companies with 50 to 249 employees (+28%) and those with 250 to 999 employees (+23%) are leading the way in recruitment. In contrast, the largest employers with more than 5,000 employees show the least enthusiasm for new hires (+2%).

Regional variations in recruitment optimism are notable. The North West region (+23%) shows the highest willingness to recruit, followed closely by the Central (+18%), North (+18%), and South-West (+18%) regions. The East (+12%) and South (+7%) regions exhibit lower, but still positive, recruitment prospects.

“The end of the year is expected to be positive for companies across Poland,” concluded Walenczak. “The North-West will see the most intense competition for talent, while other regions, including the Centre, South, and South-West, also report high recruitment demand, partly driven by seasonal factors in distribution and logistics industries.”

Source: ManpowerGroup and ISBnews