Moderate Optimism in the Recruitment Market. Data from Pracuj.pl
39,282 – that's how many new job offers were posted on Pracuj.pl in May 2020. The successive stages of unfreezing the economy in May were accompanied by increased interest in salespeople, customer service experts, IT and finance specialists. Nevertheless, both employers and candidates still face numerous challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. With them in mind, Pracuj.pl introduced further new solutions in May.
Key information:
- Over 39,000 new offers posted on Pracuj.pl in May.
- 37% of offers posted in May were for salespeople and traders.
- Increased share of offers for customer service specialists (18%).
- The past month brought an increase in job offers for marketing specialists.
More Job Offers in May
According to Pracuj.pl data, 39,282 new offers appeared on the portal in May. The data indicates an improvement in the Polish labor market after the lockdown period, during which the short-term business consequences of the coronavirus epidemic were most strongly felt. The number of listings available on Pracuj.pl was influenced on the one hand by the unfreezing of the economy and the gradually increasing recruitment activity of employers, but also by the introduction of new solutions on the site itself, designed to support both employers and job seekers.
The improvements included, among others, a free extension of listing activity by an additional 30 days. The site also conducted a campaign supporting the HoReCa industry in the face of the crisis – restaurants, hotels and other companies operating in this sector could publish job listings for one zloty. Another improvement for clients and users was a change in the job listing display, precisely indicating the location of a given recruitment.
Facing Further Challenges
Smaller Declines in the Number of Offers
An analysis of employers' activities shows that in May 2020 employer activity remained at a clearly lower level than 12 months earlier - though the declines were visibly smaller. In May 2020, the number of offers on the portal was 24% lower year-on-year. For comparison, in April it was 52%, and in March – 23%. According to Rafał Nachyna, the May results should be received with moderate optimism, but also with awareness of the further difficulties that companies in Poland and their teams will have to face.
The past month was a period of clear emergence by the world of recruitment from the trough into which it almost instantly fell in mid-March. The successive stages of unfreezing the economy favor a short-term increase in demand for staff. Let us remember, however, that we are talking about a situation without precedent in the modern labor market. When thinking about its recovery, we should prepare for a long march. We are still dealing with a clear slowdown, including the largest wave of workforce reduction decisions in years. This is a difficult situation for both employees and employers. Employees are functioning in a state of uncertainty about their professional future. Companies, in turn, face difficult staffing decisions. We try to help both groups find their way in the new circumstances - comments Rafał Nachyna, Managing Director of Pracuj.pl.
The opinion about the market challenges that await it in the era of unfreezing the economy is confirmed by the statements of Pracuj.pl respondents. More than 4 in 10 working people surveyed by Pracuj.pl fear losing their jobs as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, and 6 in 10 – a pay cut or a change in employment terms. At the same time, in the same report ("Work in the Time of Coronavirus. The New Professional Normal"), as many as 77% of respondents are ready to accept a new job offer.
Salespeople on Top, Revival in Customer Service
Salespeople Return to Favor
As many as 37% of offers published on Pracuj.pl in May concerned trade and sales specialists. For comparison, in March and April it was 31%. The increased interest in this group of candidates was undoubtedly favored by the gradual unfreezing of successive sectors of the Polish economy. Second place in terms of popularity in May went to offers addressed to customer service specialists, which accounted for 18% of all listings on Pracuj.pl. As in the case of trade, the unfreezing of recruitment in this field was driven by the opening of successive industries in which customer contact is key.
Both discussed groups of candidates have for years been at the forefront of the most sought-after specializations. However, both have also been significantly affected by the freezing of the economy related to the coronavirus pandemic. May brought a significant increase in the number of offers in these fields. In the case of trade, a special role in May was played by, among others, renewed demand for new staff in connection with the opening of shopping malls and the lifting of some restrictions in large-format stores. In customer service, in turn, the changes that the growing popularity of remote work will bring in the long term will be very interesting. This may soon translate, for example, into new requirements in employers' expectations toward candidates in this field – comments Łukasz Marciniak, Sales Development Director at Grupa Pracuj.
IT and Finance on the Podium, Marketing Revival
Moderate Optimism in Recruitment on the Labor Market in May
The last step of the podium for the most sought-after specializations in May was occupied by IT and finance (12% of all listings each). In these industries too, a clear rebound in the number of offers was observed in May, though their share in the total pool of listings remained at the standard level of a dozen or so percent. Particular attention is drawn to the May increase in recruitment in the IT industry, in which in the second half of March and in April, for the first time in years, relatively frequent cases of freezing recruitment processes could be observed. At the same time, however, it was precisely in this industry that candidates and recruiters had the greatest practical experience in the area of remote recruitment, commonly used in the new technology sector.
It is worth noting the significant position of offers addressed to marketing specialists. Marketers are a group that, in the unanimous opinion of most HR experts, is among those most strongly feeling the consequences of the first months of the economic freeze. Meanwhile, in May as many as 8% of all listings on Pracuj.pl were addressed to them – for comparison, in all of 2019 it was 5%, and in April of this year 3%. Such high results in May may indicate, for example, a growing awareness among companies of the role played by internal marketing departments in counteracting the business consequences of the pandemic. Moreover, growing demand for marketers is appearing in the e-commerce area in connection with the shift of sales online by most brands in the face of social isolation. The coming months will show whether the increased interest in this group proves to be long-lasting.
New Opportunities and Possibilities on Pracuj.pl
As experts from Grupa Pracuj emphasize, since mid-March this year the key challenge for the digital HR industry has been the broadest possible support for employers and candidates in the new circumstances. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, the role of remote recruitment has grown significantly, and employers are also looking for new, effective tools for contacting candidates or presenting job offers. In addition, the number of offers directly concerning remote work, performed fully or mostly outside the office, is growing.
Responding to market needs, Pracuj.pl introduced a range of solutions supporting HR activities. Thanks to the initiatives undertaken, at the beginning of June there were over 70,000 active job offers on the site. The new tools, alongside special offers for the HoReCa industry, the extension of listing validity, or the specification of a particular location, include, among others, the ability to mark offers concerning remote recruitment, a video interview tool in the Pracuj.pl Zone, and the ability to send messages to candidates directly within the site's ecosystem. All these activities give both candidates and employers additional opportunities to get in touch with each other.
The high number of active job offers on the site is also linked to Pracuj.pl's cooperation with Labor Offices. Thanks to the publication of their offers, candidates gained a greater choice of listings in the face of the difficult market situation. However, these listings were not included in the presented summary in the pool of new offers in May.
Summary
In May 2020, 39,282 new job offers were published on Pracuj.pl. This is a clear improvement after the lockdown, although the number of listings was still 24% lower than a year earlier. The greatest demand concerned salespeople and traders (37% of offers) and customer service specialists (18%). A rebound was also recorded in IT, finance and marketing, where the share of offers rose from 3% in April to 8% in May.
Experts from Grupa Pracuj are tempering optimism: the market faces a long march to recovery, and employees still fear layoffs and pay cuts. In response, the site introduced new tools, including tagging remote job offers, video interviews and free extension of listings, which resulted in over 70,000 active offers at the beginning of June.
