Between July and September, 35% of organizations in Poland plan to strengthen their workforce, while 44% do not plan any changes in their structures. About 19% of employers are considering staff reductions, which is 2 percentage points lower compared to the previous quarter. The net employment forecast for Poland in Q3 2024, reflecting recruitment sentiment, stood at +14%. Intense competition for new employees is expected in the eastern and northwestern regions of the country. These data come from the report published today by ManpowerGroup, presenting companies’ recruitment plans for Q3 2024. Which regions of Poland can expect the most job offers? Which industries are declaring the greatest recruitment appetite? Which organizations plan the most team strengthening? Find out more in the latest “ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey” report.
ManpowerGroup published today the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, where companies reveal their employment plans for Q3 2024. The net employment forecast for Poland, showing firms’ intentions to acquire new staff, reached +14%, which is 2 percentage points higher both compared to April-June data and year-on-year. This indicates a stable increase in the demand for new employees by Polish companies, presenting a moderately optimistic labor market outlook.
“We can talk about a certain stabilization, visible in both the quarterly and annual net employment forecast increase,” says Tomasz Walenczak, General Manager of ManpowerGroup in Poland. “For several quarters, we have been recording double-digit results, confirming the rebound of the Polish economy after many previous challenges. Unfortunately, these challenges will certainly cyclically return, as we live in quite unstable times, and organizations worldwide must be prepared for various scenarios, having plans A, B, and C. The labor market is a litmus test for the economic situation, quickly resonating with both negative and positive factors,” adds the expert.
Thirty-five percent of surveyed enterprises plan to hire new employees, 19% speak of the necessity of layoffs, and only 2% of companies have no specific staffing plans for the coming months. Forty-four percent of employers in Poland do not want any staffing changes in Q3 this year.
“The upcoming third quarter will bring growth to many industries, new employer plans, and team strengthening. Talents wishing to remain attractive in the labor market should consistently focus on skill development, understanding elements of artificial intelligence, and being open to reskilling and upskilling. As always, change is the only constant, so one must be prepared for various situations,” emphasizes Tomasz Walenczak.
Energy & Utilities and Transport, Logistics & Automotive sectors have the greatest appetite for new talents
Data from the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey indicate that in Q3 2024, companies in all eight analyzed sectors want to increase employment. Candidates in the Energy & Utilities sector (+40%) and Transport, Logistics & Automotive (+27%) can expect the most job offers. This sector noted the largest quarterly increase, with the forecast rising by 32 percentage points. Employers in the IT sector (+22%) and Communication Services (+19%) also report significant demand for new talents. Identical employment forecasts are declared by employers in the Manufacturing & Resources (+12%), Life Sciences & Healthcare (+12%), and Finance & Real Estate (+12%) sectors. The smallest yet still positive staffing plans are indicated by companies in the Consumer Goods & Services sector (+11%).
“Companies in Poland plan to expand their teams in the coming months across all analyzed sectors. The most significant demand for new employees comes from the Energy & Utilities sector, driven by many new green energy investments and Poland’s energy transition. Employers in the Transport, Logistics & Automotive sector also predict substantial employment growth, though the situation here seems more complex. While transport and logistics benefit from increased consumption and a strong FMCG sector, the automotive industry faces both significant layoffs and new investments. This is because the sector is also undergoing a transformation, introducing a large degree of automation and robotization, thus seeking slightly different talents equipped with skills in AI and new technologies. High net employment forecasts for Q3 this year are also predicted by IT companies, which is very encouraging, as this area recently faced many challenges and significant reductions. The world is inevitably moving towards artificial intelligence and new technologies, necessitating specialists to manage and implement such solutions,” says Tomasz Walenczak.
Large companies have the highest recruitment forecasts
The analysis includes a breakdown by company size. In Q3 2024, the smallest companies with up to 10 employees (+27%) and those with 1,000-4,999 employees (+25%) are the most open to expanding their teams. Companies with 50-249 employees (+20%) and 250-999 employees (+19%) show slightly lower recruitment optimism. Companies employing over 5,000 employees (+5%) and those with 10-49 employees (+2%) indicate the smallest demand for new talents.
Intense talent competition in eastern Poland, slight slowdown in the southwest
The ManpowerGroup analysis presents data by region of Poland. It shows that companies located in the eastern (+25%) and northwestern (+21%) regions plan to acquire many new employees, leading to the greatest competition for talents there. Slightly lower recruitment appetite is indicated by organizations in the Central (+16%), Southern (+9%), and Northern (+8%) regions. Companies in the southwestern part of the country forecast an employment rate of +1%, indicating slight stagnation in the local labor market.
“The greatest needs are reported by organizations in the east, resulting from increased short-term logistics and companies working on the reconstruction of Ukraine. In the northwestern part of Poland, which also forecasts high talent competition in the coming months, this is due to the significant development of the green energy sector, including wind farms,” adds the General Manager of ManpowerGroup in Poland.
Poland compared to the EMEA region
Analyzing the data for Q3 2024 for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, the average result for all countries is +18%, 2 percentage points higher compared to the previous quarter but a 3 percentage points decrease year-on-year. Companies in Switzerland (+34%), South Africa (+31%), and the Netherlands (+28%) report the highest recruitment plans for the upcoming months. Organizations in Romania (+3%) indicate the lowest desire to expand their teams.
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for Q3 2024 was prepared based on interviews with a representative sample of 525 employers in Poland. The report uses the term “net employment forecast.” This parameter represents the percentage difference between the proportion of employers predicting an increase in total employment and the proportion of companies expecting a decrease in total employment in their branch in the next quarter. The obtained result is the net employment forecast. The survey was conducted globally from April 1 to 30, 2024, among over 40,000 employers representing 42 markets worldwide.
