In the first quarter of 2019 the majority of Croatian businesses expect to add more jobs, according to a survey conducted by the Manpower recruitment firm.

The latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey was conducted among 620 Croatian companies who were asked what changes they expected in terms of their staffing in the first three months of 2019, in comparison to Q4 2018.

According to the survey, seven out of eight industrial sectors analysed are expected to add new jobs.

The most optimistic jobs forecasts were given by employers in the construction sector, who expect a 1 percentage point increase in net employment at their companies.

The only sector with the negative job projection for Q1 2019 is the tourism and hospitality industry.

By geographic region, numbers of jobs are expected to increase in all four main regions of the country, the most optimistic projections given by employers in eastern Croatia where the Net Employment Outlook predicts a 26 percent increase in Q1 2019. In southern Croatia, the proecitions put the change at a 3 percent increase.

In terms of company size, large businesses are the most optimistic category, projecting an 18 percent increase in work force, while small and medium businesses predicted a 13 percent increase.

Confidence levels among employers worldwide are rising, and a majority of employers globally expect a rise on their payrolls in the January-March period next year.

The most optimistic hiring plans were recorded in Japan, Taiwan, the United States, Slovenia, Greece, and Hong Kong, and the least optimistic in Argentina, Switzerland, Italy, Panama, and Spain.

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