ManpowerGroup: Moderate Expectations Persist in Turkey's Recruitment Market
According to ManpowerGroup's Employment Outlook Survey, employers in Turkey maintain a moderate employment outlook for the upcoming quarter with a Net Employment Outlook (NEO) of 12%. ManpowerGroup conducted the Employment Outlook Survey with 40,413 employers across 42 countries to gauge hiring expectations for the first quarter of 2025. The survey took place in a recovering yet insufficient global economic growth environment, as noted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While economic expectations strengthened for the U.S. and Asia Pacific region, gains in these areas were balanced by declines in Europe and emerging markets. This trend was reflected in the survey, with some countries in Europe reporting a drop in employment expectations despite a solid global employment outlook.
The global employment outlook remains stable, reflecting no change in the seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook (NEO) which stands at 25, and showing only a 1-point decline compared to the same period last year. These figures indicate that employers are expected to maintain stable hiring levels in the upcoming quarter.
The same trend is observed across global regions. North America, led by the U.S., has the highest employment outlook at 32 NEO points. The Asia Pacific region follows with 27 NEO points, unchanged from the previous quarter. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the employment outlook fell by 2 points to 19 NEO points compared to the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the employment outlook in South and Central America remained stable at 23 NEO points compared to the previous quarter. Overall, the global employment outlook continues to reflect a cautious and uncertain environment, with businesses not accelerating hiring as they seek to navigate the situation.
In Turkey, employers report a moderate job market for the upcoming quarter. The Net Employment Outlook (NEO) in Turkey stands at 12 points, unchanged from the previous quarter but weakened by 6 points compared to the same period last year. Feyza Narlı, General Manager of ManpowerGroup Turkey commented on the results, stating, “Businesses in Turkey continue to face challenges that prevent them from increasing their employment levels. Turkey's economic growth is slowing due to rising fuel prices and tax burdens. Although the inflation rate has decreased recently, it remains high. However, the government is taking significant steps to revitalize employment. We view the implementation of the 'Labor Adaptation Program' by the government as a positive step to reduce the high unemployment rate and better match job seekers' qualifications with labor market demands.”
The strongest and weakest sectors in Turkey The most competitive sector in Turkey is the Energy and Public Services sector, which increased by 24 points from the previous quarter and by 2 points since the first quarter of 2024, reaching 31 NEO points. Meanwhile, the Communication Services sector showed the largest increase from the previous quarter, recovering from a prior decline with an improvement of 32 points. The NEO in this sector currently stands at 18 points. The NEO scores for the sectors are as follows: Energy and Public Services (31) Information Technology (26) Transportation and Logistics & Automotive (25) Health and Life Sciences (22) Finance and Real Estate (20) Communication Services (18) Industrial Products and Materials (12) Consumer Products and Services (7) Others (12)
The strongest and weakest regions The most competitive region in Turkey is the Mediterranean Region with an NEO of 25. Although expectations in this region have decreased by 2 points compared to the previous quarter, they have increased by 10 points since the same period last year. The region with the greatest increase in expectations is the Southeast Anatolia region, reporting a jump of 20 points to reach 18 NEO points from the previous quarter. The NEO scores for the regions are: Mediterranean (25) Aegean (22) Southeast Anatolia (18) Black Sea (17) Marmara (16) Central Anatolia (14) Eastern Anatolia (-4)
By organization size Employers in large enterprises with over 5,000 employees are the most optimistic in Turkey, with an NEO of 32. The outlook in these businesses has increased by 5 points from the previous quarter and by 2 points from the same quarter last year. The NEO scores by organization size are as follows: 5,000+ (32) 1,000-4,999 (10) 10-49 (15) 250-999 (18) 50-249 (15) Less than 10 (11)