Market data shows that organizations in the consumer goods and services industry are focusing on team development. From April to the end of June, 39% of companies in this sector plan to hire new employees, while only 4% of organizations plan to reduce the number of positions. The lion’s share of employers, at 57%, do not plan any staff changes in the coming months. This information is according to the report “ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Barometer”, where companies reveal their recruitment plans for the second quarter of this year.
The analysis presented by ManpowerGroup indicates that in the second quarter of 2024, employers’ recruitment plans in the consumer goods and services sector are optimistic. The net employment outlook, which serves as a labor market barometer and shows companies’ plans related to hiring, is at a high, +32%. This is the best result among all eight analyzed industries. This index has increased by 30 percentage points year on year, and also 7 percentage points compared to Q1 2024.
“After the economic slowdown we struggled with last year, forecasts indicate a rebound in the Polish economy. The Polish Economic Institute predicts that Q2 will be the strongest, with GDP increasing by about 3% year on year,” says Anna Tietianiec, labor market expert and business manager at Manpower. She adds that the main engine of growth is expected to be private consumption, which will also impact the labor market. “The net employment outlook in the consumer goods and services sector from April to the end of June is the result of positive consumer sentiment, driven by increasing minimum wage, valuation of the 500+ benefit, rising wages, and declining inflation. An additional aspect influencing such optimistic employer forecasts in this sector is its seasonality,” adds the expert.
According to Anna Tietianiec, there will be an increase in demand for sales positions, customer service, and logistics in the consumer goods and services sector. “For many industries, such as gastronomy, hotels, resorts, the season will start, with it an increased demand for employees such as waiters or cooks. Besides experience and hard skills, employers are increasingly focusing on soft skills, such as a sense of responsibility, reliability, communication skills, cooperation, and teamwork,” she concludes.
The ManpowerGroup report also presents data referring to the recruitment plans of organizations in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. The data shows that employers in the consumer goods and services industry in this area are looking at Q2 of this year with more skepticism than companies in Poland. The net employment forecast in this sector for the EMEA region from April to the end of June is only +14%. 36% of organizations plan increased recruitment activity, 19% anticipate the need for staff reductions, and 4% do not know their recruitment plans for the coming months. 41% of employers in the EMEA consumer goods and services industry want to maintain employment at the same level.
