The Net Employment Outlook for first quarter of 2025 remains unchanged from Q4 2024, but down from the previous year, consistent with cooling labor markets
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Regional hiring intentions remain stable with the Americas (29%) reporting the strongest Outlook, followed by Asia Pacific (27%), and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (19%).
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The IT sector maintains its position as the strongest hiring sector at 37%, followed by Financials & Real Estate at 33%, and Healthcare & Life Sciences at 27%.
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Larger organizations continue to drive hiring, with companies of 250-999 employees reporting the highest Outlook at 31%.
Global hiring intentions have stabilized heading into the first quarter of 2025, with employers reporting a Net Employment Outlook (NEO) of 25%, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. The Survey, which gathered data from over 40,000 employers across 42 countries between October 1-31, 2024, shows the Outlook remaining unchanged from the previous quarter while showing a modest decrease of one percentage point year-over-year.
“As we move into 2025, we’re seeing stable year-over-year hiring trends with employers holding onto the talent they have and planning muted hiring for the quarter ahead” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO. “The fluctuations we have seen in recent quarters are beginning to stabilize – indicating employers have adapted to ongoing economic uncertainty and are maintaining steady workforce planning. The sustained strength in the IT sector and consistent hiring intentions among larger organizations point to stability too – and we hope to see this trend continue into 2025. Employers know a skilled and adaptable workforce is key to navigating transformation, and many are prioritizing hiring and retaining people with in-demand, flexible skills that can flex to where demand sits.”
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Used internationally as a bellwether of labor market trends, the NEO is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions in staffing levels from those who plan to hire.
Q4 KEY FINDINGS
- Global hiring Outlooks remain unchanged at 25% quarter-over-quarter, with a slight decline of -1% year-over-year.
- The strongest hiring plans are reported in India (40%), U.S. (34%), and Mexico (32%), while the weakest Outlooks are in Argentina (-1%), Hong Kong (6%), and Israel (8%).
- Employers in the IT (37%), Financials & Real Estate (33%), and Healthcare & Life Sciences (27%) sectors report the strongest hiring intentions.
- Organizations of 250-999 employees continue to lead hiring intentions with an Outlook of 31%, followed at 29% by those with 1,000 – 4,999 employees.
GLOBAL HIRING PLANS BY REGION
The Americas: Employers across North, Central, and South America reported the strongest regional Outlook for Q1 (29%), with hiring intentions improving 1 percentage point sequentially but declining -3 percentage points from the same period last year.
- Employers in the U.S. (34%) and Mexico (32%) show the strongest hiring prospects, while Argentina reports the region’s only negative Outlook (-1%), reflecting continued economic challenges.
- The U.S. IT sector leads global industry forecasts at 53%.
Asia Pacific (APAC): Hiring managers across the region anticipate the second strongest regional Outlook (27%), remaining unchanged from the previous quarter, but decreased by 3 percentage points when compared to the same time last year.
- India maintains its position as the global hiring leader at 40%.
- Singapore leads the Transport, Logistics & Automotive sector globally with a 67% Outlook, highlighting the region’s continued strength in supply chain and logistics.
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA): Hiring expectations remain the lowest in EMEA (19%) and have weakened by 2 percentage points since Q4 2024 and by 1 percentage point year-over-year.
- Belgium reports the strongest Outlook for Financials & Real Estate in EMEA (53%) and leads in Energy & Utilities (44%), while the Netherlands shows robust hiring plans in Consumer Goods & Services (47%).
- The most competitive sector in Spain is Information Technology, with a NEO of 27: a 6-point increase from last quarter, reflecting investments in the sector and technical education.
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