According to the ManpowerGroup Employment Barometer released today, the Covid-19 crisis will continue to take its toll on the job market, although there are some signs of improvement. In Belgium, 11% of the 446 employers surveyed at the end of July plan an in increase in payrolls by the end of the year, whilst 11% plan a decrease. 73% of employers surveyed do not anticipate any change. After seasonal adjustment, the NEO (*) – the difference between the percentage of employers expecting to hire staff and the percentage of those planning to reduce staff – stands at a zero value of 0%, indicating stagnation on the job market. This is an increase of 5 points on the historically low score of the previous quarter, but the forecast is still down 13 points on Q4 2019.

Find the MEOS report here.