Global hiring to remain steady in Q1 2025, IT sector shows optimism
Worldwide hiring intentions have stabilized heading into the first quarter of 2025, 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, showed that the outlook remained unchanged from the previous quarter, with a Net Employment Outlook (NEO) of 25% while showing a decrease of 1% year-over-year. The Net Employment Outlook is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions to staffing levels from those who plan to hire.
Employers in 12 countries report a stronger hiring outlook compared with the same period last year, weakening in 28 and remaining unchanged in one.
Globally, businesses in the IT industry saw their outlook improve by 2% since the previous quarter and the same time last year.
Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO, said in a press release, “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.”
“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,” Prising said. “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.”
The survey also found that organizations of 250-999 employees continue to lead hiring intentions with an outlook of 31%, followed by 29% by those with 1,000 - 4,999 employees.
By region
Employers across North, Central, and South America reported the strongest regional outlook for Q1 (29%), with hiring intentions improving 1% sequentially but declining 3% from the same period last year. Within this region, employers in the US (34%) and Mexico (32%) show the strongest hiring prospects, while Argentina reports the region’s only negative outlook (-1%), reflecting continued economic challenges. The US IT sector leads global industry forecasts at 53%.
Hiring managers across the region anticipate the second-strongest regional outlook (27%), remaining unchanged from the previous quarter but decreased by 3% when compared to the same time last year.
India maintained its position as the global hiring leader at 40%. Singapore leads the transport, logistics & automotive sectors globally with a 67% outlook, highlighting the region’s continued strength in supply chain and logistics.
Hiring expectations remain the lowest in EMEA (19%) and have weakened by 2% since Q4 2024 and by 1% year-over-year.
Belgium reported the strongest outlook for financials & real estate in EMEA (53%) and led in energy & utilities (44%). 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.