Get a global view of employer hiring plans from 42 major countries. Used internationally as a bellwether of labor market trends, the Net Employment Outlook – calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions to staffing levels from those who plan to hire – now stands at 25%.
The labour market is recovering in some part of Sweden
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Swedish employers report a stable employment forecast of +17 percent for the first quarter of 2025, which is the most optimistic forecast in a year. But the regional differences are large - faith in the future is strong in Götaland, while the labor market in Central Sweden is completely stagnant.
- Swedish employers predict a certain increase in the demand for labor before the first quarter of 2025. Despite the continued high unemployment, the Swedish employment forecast stands at +17 percent, which is the highest figure in a year. This is evident from ManpowerGroup's Labor Market Barometer, which has surveyed over 40,000 employers in 41 countries, of which 788 are in Sweden.
- Although the Swedish labor market shows optimism, the pace of recovery is modest from a global perspective. The European average is +19 percent, with job forecasts of +27 percent in Norway and +22 percent in Finland. However, Europe is lagging behind the pace of recruitment in the rest of the world. The tone is most positive in North America, with a robust job forecast of +32 percent, followed by Asia at +27 percent and South and Central America at +23 percent.
Strongest job forecasts in Europe
- The Netherlands (+29%)
- Switzerland (+29%)
- Belgium (+28%)
- Great Britain (+28%)
- Norway (+27%).
Swedish industry forecasts
Even at industry level, the variations in Sweden are large. The most optimistic are the employers in the banking, finance and real estate industries, with an employment forecast of as much as +43 percent. On the other hand, the transport, logistics and automotive industry as well as energy and community services are completely at a standstill with job forecasts of +2 and 0 percent, respectively.
- The banking, finance and real estate industries, +43%
- Health, healthcare and Life Sciences, +26%
- The service industry and the wholesale and retail trade, +24%
- The IT industry, +23%
- Raw materials, green industries, construction and service companies, the defense industry, +18%
- The telecom and media industries, +11%
- Transport, logistics and the automotive industry, +2%
- Energy and community service, 0%
Industries with the Strongest Job Forecasts
- The banking, finance and real estate industries, +43%
- Health, healthcare and Life Sciences, +26%
- The service industry and the wholesale and retail trade, +24%
- The IT industry, +23%
The regions' employment forecasts
- Östra Götaland, +24%
- Västra Götaland, +21%
- Northern Sweden, +17%
- The Stockholm and Uppsala region, +11%
- Central Sweden (Södermanland, Västmanland, Värmland and Örebro counties), +5%
- Skåne and Blekinge counties, +2%
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