“At the end of this year, recruitment levels in most sectors are expected to reach those in 2018. However, due to the pandemic the labour market froze as people have been unwilling to change employment and face uncertainty. This is the case mainly for unskilled workers in manufacturing and logistics. To find higher numbers of warehouse workers or blue-collar workers is as difficult as finding software developers. Recruiting people with technical qualification on all levels from tradesmen to mechanical and IT engineers remains a conundrum. It is also extremely difficult for employers to attract people back to work in food industry, hospitality, and personal services. For most, former employees managed to find work in other sectors and are not willing to go back to the industries that were locked down as they fear new waves of pandemics”, said Jaroslava Rezlerová, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup Czech Republic.

Industry sector comparisons

Payrolls are expected to grow in all seven Czech industry sectors during the fourth quarter of 2021. Hiring sentiment strengthens in all seven sectors when compared with the previous quarter and also improves in all seven sectors when compared with this time last year. The strongest hiring pace is anticipated for the Manufacturing sector, where the Outlook of +21% reflects healthy hiring plans. Hiring prospects improve by 5 and 17 percentage points from 3Q 2021 and 4Q 2020, respectively. In the Czech Restaurants & Hotels sector, employers anticipate the strongest labor market since the survey began in 2008, reporting an upbeat Outlook of +18%. Hiring plans in the sector improve by 16 percentage points quarter-over-quarter and by 13 percentage points year-over-year. Construction sector employers also report an Outlook of +18%, increasing by 4 percentage points when compared with the previous quarter and by 15 percentage points in comparison with the final quarter of 2020. The weakest sector Outlook of +2% is reported in the Other Production sector, improving by 3 percentage points in comparison with both the prior quarter and last year at this time.

Regional comparisons

Employers in all three Czech regions anticipate an increase in staffing levels during the forthcoming quarter, with Outlooks strengthening in two regions quarter-over-quarter and improving in all three when compared with this time one year ago. The strongest regional labor market is expected in Prague, where the Outlook of +16% is the strongest in more than two years, increasing by 8 and 19 percentage points from 3Q 2021 and 4Q 2020, respectively. Bohemia employers report the weakest of the three regional forecasts, standing at +6%. Hiring plans for the region are unchanged quarter-over-quarter and remain relatively stable year-over-year.

Organization Size Comparisons

In all four organization size categories, job gains are forecast for 4Q 2021. Large employers (+22%) anticipate the strongest hiring pace, while Micro employers (+3%) are the most cautious.

Global Overview

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.

The next ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey featuring the forecast for the 1Q 2022 period will be published on 14 December 2021.

Full survey results for each of the 43 countries and territories included in this quarter’s survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the ManpowerGroup Press Room at www.manpowergroup.com/meos.

ManpowerGroup has also released its ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Explorer tool, a new interactive way to examine and compare its data. The tool can be viewed at http://www.manpowergroupsolutions.com/DataExplorer/