Employment outlook: Companies are increasingly creating new jobs again

Each quarter, ManpowerGroup surveys more than 42,000 employers in 43 countries on employment prospects for the coming quarter. It also examines trends related to skills shortages on an annual basis. According to the latest survey, in 25% of the global markets surveyed, hiring intentions are the highest they have been in over 10 years.

Employment prospects particularly good in eastern Switzerland

In Switzerland, employers in all seven regions and industries are confident about hiring intentions for the final quarter of 2021 - with a net employment outlook of +8%. This is in line with the previous quarter and represents an improvement of 6 percentage points from the same quarter in 2020. One region stands out in particular: Eastern Switzerland expects employment growth of +18%. This forecast is 10 percentage points higher than the previous quarter (+8%) and 17 percentage points better than a year ago (+1%). Benjamin Hügli, Regional Director Zurich & Eastern Switzerland Manpower: "In the Zurich region, we see an encouraging outlook of +6%, which is really positive. Eastern Switzerland is particularly exceptional, with an Outlook of +18%. The big difference with the Zurich region is that Eastern Switzerland has many industrial workplaces, which are naturally less suitable for home offices and were correspondingly more affected by the pandemic. In contrast, the Zurich region is more active in the service sector, which was able to respond appropriately to the home office requirement and recommendation. With the vaccinations and the upturn in the economy, hiring intentions in the Eastern Switzerland region are now picking up."

Shortage of talent remains high globally, declining in Switzerland

At the same time, the global talent shortage remains at a high level. For the months of October, November and December, employers expect a talent shortage of 69%. In Switzerland, the talent shortage has decreased since the last survey (83%): 57% of the companies surveyed are struggling to fill their positions with suitable talent. Faced with this talent shortage, which remains the worst in 15 years, 41% of companies are investing in training, skills development and mentoring, while 67% are offering more flexibility, both in terms of working hours and location. Swiss employers focus on training, skills development and mentoring incentives (54%). But there are also barriers: Globally, the biggest barriers cited are money (22%), time (19%) and access to the right training partners (13%). In Switzerland, a similar picture presents itself among employers, although the obstacle time (34%) reaches a much higher percentage than the global value.

Yvonne Baumgartner, Managing Director Talent Solutions ManpowerGroup Switzerland: "In our view, the high affinity for continuing education has led to a decline in the talent shortage in Switzerland. Many employees have taken advantage of the pandemic period and have continued their education to increase their employability and be fit for the job market as soon as the economy recovers. But the war of talent continues. We are getting feedback from our clients that employer branding is becoming more relevant. Due to the talent shortage, specialists in particular can choose where they want to work. Salary alone is no longer the only selection criterion: Incentives such as flexible working hours and locations as well as coaching and internal training are also highly valued. The pandemic has taught us a few things - especially with regard to the need for flexibility. Many companies have made appropriate adjustments, but we sense that development in this area is not yet complete."

Source: ManpowerGroup