Job openings expected to remain plentiful in the fourth quarter

Poland’s labour market could finish the year in its strongest position in two years, according to the latest ManpowerGroup employment barometer. The survey found that 32% of employers plan to expand their teams in the fourth quarter, covering October through December.

That share is lower than in the two previous quarters, but it remains above the level recorded a year earlier. At that time, 28% of surveyed companies planned to increase employment during the final quarter. The survey questioned a representative sample of 525 employers in Poland.

The picture also improved on the other side of the balance sheet. The proportion of companies planning to cut staff fell from 18% to 15%. After seasonal adjustment, the barometer’s net employment outlook reached 18 percentage points, seven points higher than a year earlier and two points above the previous quarter.

Nine of the 10 sectors surveyed recorded a positive net outlook. Trade and logistics posted a 21-point advantage for employers planning to hire, reflecting preparations for the busier fourth quarter, particularly in e-commerce and logistics. ManpowerGroup also pointed to potentially optimistic investment plans among logistics companies.

Construction and real estate recorded the highest outlook, at 25 percentage points. Recruitment leader Rafał Mróz linked that result mainly to a recent revival in the housing market. At the same time, official data showed construction and assembly output had fallen by 2.4%.

Information and communications, which includes media and telecommunications services, was the only sector where employers planning to reduce staffing held an advantage, by six percentage points. ManpowerGroup Poland general director Tomasz Walenczak described the broader market as moving from a strong start and high employment forecasts into a period of mild slowdown and relative stability.

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After a strong start to the year and high employment forecasts, a period of mild slowdown followed, and in the last quarter the labour market entered a phase of relative stability.