The Global Snapshot project from the international recruitment firm, Antal, asked 9,117 companies in 52 major markets such as western and eastern Europe, Africa, India, China and the US whether they were currently hiring at professional and managerial level.
It then asked whether they planned to do so in the coming quarter and whether they were currently letting staff go or were planning to do so in the next three months. Current hiring across the globe was up from 54% of respondents at the beginning of the year to 57% now. And the percentage of organisations intending to hire in the coming quarter was also up from 55% to 57%.
The percentage of organisations intending to shed staff had remained relatively stable at 23%, up just one percentage point from June.?? ??The highest current hiring levels were in Belgium (63%), Luxembourg (63%), the UK (61%), Austria (61%) and Switzerland (60%).
The lowest levels of hiring of professionals and managers were in Portugal (42%), Spain (37%) and, despite the relative strength of its economy, Germany at just 32%.?? In Eastern Europe and Eurasia??, the highest recruiting levels were in Israel (79%), Slovakia (76%), Russia (75%), Turkey (74%), Slovenia (69%) and Czech Republic (68%). Hungary’s well-documented economic problems meant that it continued to have the lowest level of hiring in the region, with only 27% of businesses questioned actively seeking new managers or professionals.
Qatar registered the highest level of recruitment at professional and managerial level (80%) with the UAE and Saudi Arabia lagging well behind at 53% and 49% respectively. In Africa the highest level of recruitment was registered in Egypt (74%), Nigeria (66%) and South Africa (63%). The lowest level was in Kenya at just 38%.
Asia currently provides the healthiest jobs market for managers and professionals. Hiring in Thailand stands at 86%, in China at 81% (up from 72% in June), in the Philippines at 80% and in Singapore at 79%. Even Pakistan’s relatively poor performance at just 62% remains impressive by global standards.
Despite the continuing troubles in the US jobs market, the picture for managers and professionals appears relatively healthy with 66% of organisations recruiting at this level. The most active markets are in Canada (76%) and Brazil (70%), while the most depressed is Argentina at 46%.?? Activity in both Australia and New Zealand is up, from 69% in June to 78% in the former and from 67% to 74% in the latter.
Across the globe the sectors with the highest levels of recruitment at professional and managerial level were healthcare, renewable energy bio-technology?, retail and professional services?? – in that order.
The lowest were government (excluding healthcare and education), newspapers and magazines, utilities, music and entertainment.
Antal’s CEO, Tony Goodwin, said: "No one is likely to be brave or foolish enough to say that our economic troubles are over, particularly if they are based in Greece, Ireland, Hungary or any of the other nations bearing the brunt of painful budgetary cuts at the moment. But it does seem as if we have avoided the financial Armageddon that seemed all too real a prospect from late 2008 to the early months of 2009.
"In a continuing demonstration of shifting economic power in the 21st century, it is the rising stars of the developing world that continue to lead the way to sustained recovery. Both China and India are recording very high levels of demand for professionals and managers, as is their fellow BRIC member, Brazil, on the other side of the world."
"For chief executives and HR directors around the globe, the key business challenge is already shifting away from headcount reduction or containment to how to source the talent they will need in improving markets. The war for talent, which had dwindled to little more than an insignificant skirmish, has already broken out once again."
