Employers expect more hirings this summer across the economy

Optimism is gradually growing among Greek employers who are anticipating an increase in hirings over the third quarter of the year, mainly in the sectors of finance, insurance and real estate, as well as in agriculture and commerce, the results of ManpowerGroup’s employment prospects survey showed on Tuesday.

The survey found that almost one in four employers is expecting an increase in hirings from July to September, with the net employment outlook increasing by two percentage points from the second quarter to +11 percent, which is also up five percentage points on a year earlier.

In total 24 percent of employers expect a rise in hirings, 7 percent expect a reduction and 66 percent say they anticipate no change.

Notably, employers in northern Greece reported the highest employment prospects, at a rate of +12 percent, compared with their peers in Attica who expect a 9 percent increase. Employers from large companies are the most optimistic, with a +25 percent rate.

The improvement in hiring prospects for the next quarter was the highest seen in over eight years, ManpowerGroup Greece chief executive Fani Klida noting that employers now associate corporate growth with the commissioning of talented candidate workers.

Employers across all nine main economic sectors forecast an increase in employee numbers over the summer. The strongest sector is expected to be that incorporating finance, insurance, real estate and corporate services (+23 percent), followed by agriculture (+21 percent), industry (+11 percent) and commerce (+11 percent).

In the sector including electricity, natural gas and water, employers are less optimistic, as they anticipate hirings growth of just 3 percent this summer, the survey found.