ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey – Q3 2021

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the third quarter 2021 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 1,764 employers in the UK.

All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of September 2021 as compared to the current quarter?”

Interviewing was carried out during the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak. The survey findings for the third quarter of 2021 are likely to reflect the impact of the global health emergency, and may be notably different to previous quarters.

The survey results for this quarter report that:

  • UK jobs Outlook increased by the biggest margin in Europe bar Ireland
  • Hospitality and retail lead the jobs resurgence
  • UK now facing one of the largest talent shortages in the world

Easing lockdown restrictions have resulted in a dramatic increase in UK employers hiring intentions, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. The national Outlook is +8%, a six-year high and a 13-point increase quarter on quarter, the strongest growth of any European country bar Ireland. Sectors like Retail and Hospitality, and Finance and Business Services, have all seen double digit increases and lead this resurgence in the UK employment market. The boom in hiring means the UK now faces an acute talent shortage that could hinder its post COVID recovery.

Chris Gray, Director, ManpowerGroup UK says: “After the weakest twelve months for the UK’s jobs Outlook in 30 years, employers are raring to get back to normal and capture the wave of pent-up consumer demand. The employment Outlook has seen the sharpest quarter on quarter increase since 2002 and the largest year on year record to date. Much of this is likely to be companies making up for hiring freezes and redundancies undertaken over the past 12-months. The dramatic growth in hiring intentions among small (15%) and mid-sized (19%) businesses – so often the real engines of economic growth – is a shot in the arm for UK plc.”