The majority of employers intend to increase hiring in 42 out of 43 countries and territories through the end of the year, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

The survey states that employer hiring confidence remains strong despite uncertainty associated with the slowdown of the global economy, the Brexit vote and continued financial market volatility. Hiring confidence is strongest in India, Japan, Taiwan and the United States, while employers in Brazil, Belgium, Finland, Italy and Switzerland report the weakest hiring plans. Only employers in Brazil expect payrolls to decline in the October to December timeframe (Q4).

For the survey, Manpower interviewed nearly 59,000 employers globally. Compared to Q3 2016, hiring prospects strengthened in 23 of 43 countries and territories, are unchanged in nine and declined in 11. Compared with last year at this time, outlooks improve in 21 countries and territories, weakened in 15 and are unchanged in six.

"The Brexit vote in the UK, along with other recent geopolitical events, has added an additional level of volatility – real or perceived – to the global economic outlook,” Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO, ManpowerGroup, said. “Despite this uncertainty, the labour market picture remains cautiously positive, with many EU and Eurozone economies slowly pushing back towards pre­recession levels as well as improving prospects in other key markets like India, Japan and Taiwan."

Among the regions, employers expect staffing levels to increase again in all 25 countries in the EMEA region during the upcoming quarter. The strongest EMEA labour markets are forecast by employers in Ireland (their strongest outlook since Q2 2007) and Israel, while the weakest outlooks are reported in Belgium, Finland, Italy and Switzerland. Despite the Brexit decision, the jobs market in the UK remains strong at a national level, though there are signs of hesitancy in several sectors including Finance.

Employers in the United Kingdom may be adopting a wait-and-see approach in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, and the referendum’s result appears to have had little effect on their fourth-quarter hiring plans.

Meanwhile, employers in all eight Asia Pacific countries and territories expect workforce gains during Q4 2016. Indian employers report the strongest regional and global hiring prospects for the fifth consecutive quarter, while the weakest Asia Pacific labor market is anticipated in China, also for the fifth consecutive quarter.  

​Employers in 9 of the 10 Americas countries expect to increase staffing levels during the next three months. Employers in the United States report the most optimistic hiring prospects in the region, with particular enthusiasm in the Leisure & Hospitality sector where a third of all employers plan to add to their payrolls in the last three months of the year. The weakest hiring activity was forecasted by Brazilian employers – the only negative outlook globally.