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Europe – Growth in agency work slows

28 November 2014

After a good August, which reported year-on-year growth of +3.3% in the number of hours worked by temporary agency workers across Europe, growth slowed during September to +1.1% year-on-year, according to Eurociett, the European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies.

Germany, Norway, France, and Switzerland all reported growth below the European average. However, year-on-year growth of +0.4% in Germany marks the first positive growth since July 2012.

France, on the other hand, reported its worst result (-3.5%) since September 2013. Meanwhile, year-on-year growth in Belgium slowed to +4.8%, primarily because the last quarter of 2013 was relatively strong, so this year looks weaker in comparison.

The Netherlands, however, continues to show sustained improvement, with growth of +10% in September and +9% in October.

The number of hours worked by temporary agency workers across Europe also proved mixed. France is continuing to struggle, while the Netherlands is showing sustained improvement. In Belgium, the number of hours worked has slowed following strong growth over the summer. Despite seeming to alternate growth and decline on a month-by-month basis, the Finnish labour market seems to be trending up.