Global hiring intentions have stabilized and will remain steady moving into the first quarter of 2025, according to a Dec. 10 report from ManpowerGroup.
Employers reported a net employment outlook of 25%, remaining unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2024 and sustaining a modest year-over-year decrease of 1 percentage point.
“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,” Jonas Prising, chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup, said in a statement.
“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,” Prising said. “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.”
Globally, sectors with the strongest hiring intentions included IT (37%), financials and real estate (33%) and healthcare and life sciences (27%).
Employers across the Americas reported the strongest regional outlook for the first quarter, at 29%, with hiring intentions improving 1 percentage point from the previous quarter but declining 3 percentage points from the beginning of 2024.
In particular, employers in the U.S. (34%) and Mexico (32%) had the strongest hiring prospects. The U.S. IT sector leads global industry forecasts at 53%.
After several quarters of declining attrition, more workers may leave their jobs in early 2025, according to an Eagle Hill Consulting report, especially women and Generation Z workers. To boost retention, employers can monitor employee sentiment and double down on engagement initiatives, Eagle Hill’s president and CEO said.
Heading into 2025, AI will factor heavily into talent trends, according to an ADP report. More than half of employers said they plan to close their AI skills gaps through targeted upskilling.