A Slight Increase in the Employment by the End of the Year

The results of the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Survey show that 11% of 621 employers surveyed in Bulgaria expect to increase employment levels in the next three months, 5% predict a reduction in staffing and 4% are uncertain about their plans for employment until 80% are considering changing their current workforce between October and December. After the seasonal variations are removed from the data, the net employment forecast 1 is + 7%.

Rental intentions remained unchanged from the previous quarter and decreased by one percentage point on an annual basis.

"Employers in Bulgaria share cautious optimism about the labor market in the fourth quarter of 2019. Their modest hiring intentions reflect slow economic growth, as well as the highly anticipated results of the upcoming elections," commented Aleksandar Hangimana, Managing Director . "On the other hand, 11% of employers in the country plan to increase their workforce over the next three months, and this positive trend applies to all five regions and to almost every industrial sector.

However, the demand for both high-skilled and low-skilled employees exceeds supply and we see the fight for specific talent increasing in a number of sectors every day. "

Between October and December, an increase in staff is foreseen in all five regions. For the second consecutive quarter Varna expects the strongest labor market with a net employment forecast of + 12%. Employers in Plovdiv and Sofia are planning a significant job increase with an estimate of + 8% and a forecast for Burgas is + 5%.

Unlike in the previous quarter, jobseekers in Rousse can expect a favourable hiring climate, since the employers' forecast registers the largest increase on a quarterly basis and reaches + 4%.