AmCham Slovakia

Bratislava as a driver of employment in the 1st quarter of 2025

• 34 % of Slovak employers expect an increase in the number of employees, 20 % expect a decrease and 43 % do not expect any change, while 3 % of employers were undecided on this topic.
  
• Based on these data, the net labour market index in Slovakia, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, is 16 % for the first quarter of 2025.
  
• The highest net labour market index is in Bratislava 23 %. The lowest in central and western Slovakia. In eastern Slovakia is the net labour index is 20 %.
  
• Firms in the Transport, Logistics and Automotive (37 %) and Energy and Utilities (32 %) sectors expect the most new jobs. The worst performing sector is Communication Services, where employees will be laid off (-3 %).
  
• Globally, employers in India (40 %) and the U.S. (34 %) have the strongest hiring plans. The weakest prospects are expected in Argentina (-1 %), Hong Kong (6 %), Israel (8 %).

The most competitive sector in Slovakia is transport, logistics and automotive, with an employment outlook of 37 %, 10 percentage points higher than in Q4 2023.

The net labour market index in Slovakia, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, is 16 %. Compared to the previous quarter, this is an decrease of 3 percentage points, also representing a year-on-year decrease of 1 percentage point.

The global net labour market index for the first quarter of 2025 is at 25 %, down 1 percentage points from a year ago and at the same level as the last quarter.

“Although employers' optimism has slightly weakened, the outlook for the first quarter of 2025 indicates that the Slovak labor market still retains its momentum. Large enterprises, with a historically high employment index, demonstrate that even in challenging times, there is room for investment in human capital. These results suggest that Slovakia has the potential to become an attractive labor market despite the challenges in both the global and domestic environment,” said Zuzana Rumiz, General Manager of ManpowerGroup Slovakia.

COMPARISON OF RECRUITMENT PLANS BY SECTOR

Employers in six out of nine sectors in Slovakia plan to increase employee numbers in the first quarter of 2025. The highest number of new jobs (37 %) is expected to be created by companies in the transportation, logistics, and automotive sectors. This represents a decrease of 12 percentage points compared to the previous quarter but a year-over-year increase of 10 percentage points.

The second most prominent sector is energy and utilities (32 %), which saw a 12 percentage-point improvement compared to the last quarter. The financial and real estate sector ranks third (20 %), with a significant quarter-over-quarter increase of 22 percentage points.

While employers are planning to hire new staff in Q1, three sectors anticipate layoffs. The sector with the highest improvement in expectations is communication services (-3 %), which is recovering from declines in previous quarters. Compared to the last quarter, this sector has grown by 26 points. However, from a global perspective, it remains the second weakest sector (14 %), down 2 percentage points compared to the last quarter and 16 percentage points year-over-year.

REGIONAL COMPARISON

Positive hiring sentiment prevails across Slovakia, as employers in all regions expect employment growth in the first quarter. The Bratislava region leads with the strongest hiring outlook, showing a net employment index of 23 %, up by 10 points compared to the previous quarter. Eastern Slovakia also has optimistic hiring plans (20 %). However, employment prospects have worsened in central and western Slovakia, with a net employment index of 5 %.

COMPARISON BY COMPANY SIZE

Employers in five out of six organizational size categories in Slovakia expect employment growth in Q1. Large companies (over 5,000 employees) have the most robust hiring plans, with a net employment index of 69 %, representing a quarterly increase of 73 points and a year-over-year increase of 40 points. Conversely, companies with 1,000–4,999 employees are expected to reduce their workforce (- 14 %).

GLOBAL LABOUR MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

• Global hiring outlooks remain unchanged at 25 % quarter-over-quarter, with a slight decline of 1 % year-over.
• Employers in India (40 %) have the strongest hiring plans, followed by U.S. (34 %) and Mexico (32 %). The weakest outlooks are in Argentina (-1 %), Honk Kong (6 %) and Israel (8 %).
• Globally the Information Technology sector has the strongest hiring prospects (37 %), followed by Finance & Real Estate (33 %) and Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (27 %). The Energy & Utilities sector is the weakest performer (10 %).

“The talent shortage in Slovakia reflects broader trends – from an aging population and technological transformation to the expectations of Generation Z, which seeks flexibility and meaningful work. Employers face the challenge of adapting to these changes, whether through upskilling their workforce or introducing innovations to attract young talent. By combining these efforts with regional support and modernizing the education system, we could build a resilient and competitive labour market,” said Zuzana Rumiz, General Manager of ManpowerGroup Slovakia.

Talent Shortage

Slovak employers continue to struggle with a talent shortage, particularly in the IT sector and finance, insurance and real estate.

• 69% of Slovak employers surveyed by ManpowerGroup reported difficulties in finding employees with the necessary skills, with nearly a quarter facing significant challenges. Employers in central Slovakia (77%) and eastern Slovakia (73%) are struggling the most. Among company sizes, large firms with 1,000–4,999 employees report the highest difficulties in finding talent (82%).
• In-demand skills: Employers most frequently need workers with production/manufacturing skills (26%), particularly in the energy and utilities sector (40%) and in industry and construction (30%). Other highly sought-after skills include IT skills (24%), engineering skills (20%), operational logistics skills (18%), and sales and marketing skills (18%).
• To address the talent shortage, companies are primarily increasing wages (27%) and investing in upskilling and reskilling their current workforce (26%).
• Employers in Slovakia are also taking steps to promote greater gender equality through various initiatives. 45% of companies report efforts to build trust within teams, while 44% actively support employee well-being. These strategies help improve recruitment and retention of workers across all genders.
  

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind, used globally as a key economic indicator. The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity. Full results of the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook survey are available at https://go.manpowergroup.com/meos. Detailed results for Slovakia can be found at www.manpower.sk/magazin/tag/prieskumy.

In the context of the labour market survey, 531 Slovak employers were asked: “How do you expect the total number of employees in your company to change in the following quarter by the end of March compared to the current quarter?”

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ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity – as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality, and Disability, and in 2023 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 14th year – all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. www.manpowergroup.com

MANPOWERGROUP SLOVAKIA
In Slovakia, ManpowerGroup takes care of the HR and payroll agenda of more than 1,000 employees every month, who work for ManpowerGroup's clients. Thanks to its network of five offices, ManpowerGroup finds 6,000 new employees for 500 clients annually. For more information, visit www.manpower.sk