Employers slightly optimistic

EMPLOYERS in Slovakia are slightly optimistic about hiring in the last quarter of 2014. A survey conducted by Manpower Slovensko on 751 employers across the country, showed 8 percent of employers expect an increase in employees, while 6 percent anticipate a decrease. As many as 79 percent of the surveyed employers do not expect any changes, with 7 percent of the respondents saying they do not know, the SITA newswire reported.

EMPLOYERS in Slovakia are slightly optimistic about hiring in the last quarter of 2014. A survey conducted by Manpower Slovensko on 751 employers across the country, showed 8 percent of employers expect an increase in employees, while 6 percent anticipate a decrease. As many as 79 percent of the surveyed employers do not expect any changes, with 7 percent of the respondents saying they do not know, the SITA newswire reported.

The net employment outlook for Slovakia is at +2 percent. This index is derived from taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in total employment in the upcoming quarter and subtracting from this the percentage of those expecting to see a decrease in employment in their location. Compared with the third quarter, the index worsened by 3 percentage points, while in the year-on-year comparison it improved by 1 point.

Employers in six out of 10 industry sectors expect a positive hiring outlook for the fourth quarter of 2014. Compared with the previous quarter as well as the fourth quarter of 2013, the index worsened in six sectors. Employers report the strongest hiring plans in the processing industry (+9 percent), followed by the sectors of finance, insurance, real estate and other services to companies and wholesale and retail trade (+8 percent). The sector of agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing reports the weakest outlook (-9 percent), while employers in the sectors of accommodation and catering and mining report negative outlooks of -8 percent and -7 percent, respectively.

In a regional comparison, the outlooks for all four of Slovakia’s broader regions (Bratislava, western, central and eastern Slovakia) are positive. Western Slovakia is the most optimistic (+3 percent), followed by employers in central and eastern Slovakia with a net employment outlook of +2 percent. Bratislava reports having the most cautious hiring plans, at +1 percent. The index in Bratislava decreased by 8 points.

In terms of the size of companies, large firms with over 250 employees are the most optimistic, at +16 percent. Mid-sized companies with 50-249 employees expect a moderate increase in the workforce, +2 percent. Small companies with 10-49 employees report an index of -5 percent. Micro companies with fewer than 10 employees have the weakest hiring plans, -3 percent.

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