45% employers plan to hire more staff in Q1 2025, but 20% plan to reduce hiring efforts

SINGAPORE: A recent survey conducted by human resources agency ManpowerGroup indicates that local employers are cautiously optimistic about recruitment in the first quarter of the upcoming year, with particularly strong demand in the transportation, logistics, and automotive sectors.

The survey, which gathered responses from 525 local employers, revealed that 45% of employers plan to increase hiring during Q1, 20% expect to reduce hiring, and 34% anticipate no changes in their staffing levels.

This results in a net employment outlook—a measure adjusted for seasonal variations—of 25%. However, this figure represents a slight dip of four percentage points compared to the previous quarter’s outlook.

Among the nine sectors surveyed, employers in eight expressed plans to expand their workforce. The transportation, logistics, and automotive sectors emerged as the top-performing industries, with a record-high weighted net employment outlook of 67%.

This figure marks a significant 22% increase from the previous quarter and is 43 percentage points above the global average. The sector also has the highest outlook since the survey began tracking this data in the first quarter of 2010.

The medical and life sciences sector followed as the second most optimistic, reporting a weighted outlook of 40%. The finance and real estate sector ranked third, with an outlook of 36%.

On the other end of the spectrum, the energy and utilities sector reported the weakest hiring prospects, with a net employment outlook of negative 29%. This marks a notable contrast to the generally positive hiring sentiment across other industries.

While hiring plans remain strong overall, the slight decline in the net employment outlook compared to the previous quarter suggests employers are maintaining a degree of caution amid economic uncertainties.

Nonetheless, the transportation, logistics, and automotive sectors are set to lead the charge in workforce expansion, reflecting robust demand in these areas.

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