ManpowerGroup has recently released its Employment Outlook Survey for the third quarter of 2023. The survey, measuring employers’ intentions to change their workforce size in the next quarter, draws on data from 39,000 employers across 41 countries.
The survey shows the Net Employment Outlook (NEO), where a positive value indicates more employers in that country plan to expand rather than shrink their workforce.
Leading the list is Costa Rica with an NEO of 43%, indicating a robust expectation of workforce growth. This is followed by the Netherlands, Peru and Australia. The global average was 28%, down 4% versus Q3 2022 but slightly higher compared to Q2 2023 (+5%). The least positive expectations were in Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Argentina.
On a regional basis, employers in North America reported the strongest hiring intentions (+35%), followed by Asia Pacific (+31%), Central and South Americas (+29%), and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (+20%).