Demand for company staff increases by three-quarters
The hosting of the Olympics and economic growth were the main factors that considerably raised demand for company staff during 2004. This is the conclusion of a recent survey by the Kantor Humanis consultancy firm, which proves that demand for staff posted a massive increase of 75 percent last year, compared with 2003, led by trade and industry. The survey’s conclusions point to optimism in enterprises, linked with the economic atmosphere and developments in various sectors as well as in the entire economy. Yet maintenance of this climate in 2005 cannot be taken for granted, as companies are already adapting their hiring strategy according to initial signs. Among all sectors in the services domain, IT solutions and telecoms were the most dynamic, contributing 58 percent to the whole domain’s demand. The rise in the telecoms sector is attributed to increased staff needs after changes in the administration of big banks. In the trade domain, food and wine firms topped staff demand, followed by construction products and materials companies, and medicine, cosmetics and detergents enterprises. Compared with 2003, the first two sectors have increased their presence, while the fall in the electrics and electronics sector is indicative of its crisis. In industry, medicine, cosmetics and detergents firms lead, followed by food industries and mining companies. The textile and food sectors had their peak in the second quarter of last year, while medicine, cosmetics and detergents had equally high demand in the first two quarters, which shows a general rising trend in the first half of last year. Print media is losing some of its share to the publication of want ads on the Internet. In 2004, there was an impressive rise of ads on the Net, reaching 20 percent of all employment ads, from just 6 percent in 2003. This trend is estimated to grow stronger in the coming years. Notably, data from the second half of 2004, when the effect of hosting the Olympic Games was over, reveal a rising trend in demand compared with 2003. This shows optimism in Greek enterprises which, despite the economic downturn, are still investing in sales and marketing staff. It is not certain, though, whether this trend will continue in 2005, given that enterprises are facing a year of structural changes and of tight fiscal policy. As a result, Kantor’s analysts do not rule out a drop in staff demand during the year.
