In most surveys that have circulated since the beginning of the year, job instability or the fear of being unemployed It’s a major concern.
This impression has its correlation in the opinion of HR specialists: the percentage of those who intend to hire new collaborators during this new year it is the lowest in the last three years: 65%, six percentage points less than in 2022 and 10 less than in 2021.
The data comes from the Balance 2023 and Expectations 2024 study by Bumeran, the job portal that collects data from various countries in the region.
Among those who plan to increase the workforce locally, 32% plan to increase it by 10%; 26% think they will, 5%; and 15% plan to expand it by 15%. On the other hand, 28% of HR experts plan to “reduce” staff. “This is the lowest figure in the region, as Ecuador plans to reduce it by 45%; in Peru 33%; in Chile, 31%; and in Panama, 29%,” the report states.
How large would the workforce reductions be in Argentina? 33% of organizations would reduce it by 20%; another 33% plan to reduce it by 5%; 22% would do so more than 30%; and 11% would implement it by 30%.
Another information revealed by the study shows that neither human resources specialists nor workers know what the labor market situation in the country will be this year.
The majority of those hiring staff, 34%, He could not specify whether his projection for 2024 is positive or negative. 28% believe that the world of work will be worse in the new year; 19% will remain unchanged; and 18% believe it will improve.
“We are in a moment of transition between economic models and very different states. It is expected that a large number of reforms will be defined that will have a direct and indirect impact on the world of work and, without a doubt, new measures will be added to this panorama of change in the coming days. In this context, “There are still no certainties about the direction that 2024 could take in terms of employment” explains Federico Barni, CEO of Jobint, the group that controls Bumeran.
This uncertainty about the year that has begun is replicated only in Panama, a country preparing for the presidential elections in May, where 40% of staff recruiters fails to have a clear vision of the future of work in the country. In Chile 12% chose this option; in Peru 10%; and in Ecuador only 6%.
254 HR specialists and 20,476 workers participated in the Bumera regional study. The research was conducted in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru, and explored the perception of the past working year and what is expected from the one that has just begun.
In previous editions of the study, the response of the majority regarding the perception of the new year was positive and specialists predicted an improvement in the world of work. In 2021, 39% believe that the job market situation would be better for the following year; In 2022, 40% thought so. In 2023, only 18%.
In Argentina, human resources experts who believe that the situation in 2024 will be worse, highlight the incidence of economic context of the country in the labor market (68%); compared to which salaries will lose value inflation (64%); that there will be fewer jobs (36%); that there will be a flight of talent to other countries (12%); and other reasons (4%).
As for the expectations local workers have for this year. According to this survey, 45% hope to find a job and stop being unemployed; 20% hope to change jobs; 16% remain very optimistic; 6% have no expectations at the moment; another 6% do not believe they will change jobs; 4% expect a promotion; and 2% don’t believe they can find a job.
Source: Clarin
