The Spanish labor market, despite the shaking of the omicron, is gradually recovering several of the indicators typical of the stage prior to covid. One of them is the feeling of security of the employees (or lack of it) regarding the probability of being fired from their job, which according to the labor guide of Hays of 2022 presented this Tuesday returns to pre-pandemic levels. If during 2021 it rebounded to 3. 4%that is, one in three wage earners feared losing their job during the year, has now returned to 23% which was recorded in 2019.
The Hays report, prepared using data collected during October 2021 among 1,300 companies and 2,900 professionals throughout Spain, also confirms that wages will evolve unevenly during this year, rising for some professionals but tending to stagnation for others; despite widespread inflation. It also notes the difficulties of teleworking to take root beyond the health emergency in some companies, despite being a widespread demand among professionals. And it also indicates that employment will maintain its pull during the year and companies will mostly reinforce their templates with new staff.
The degree of job insecurity of employees surveyed by Hays remains high in sectors that continue to be affected either by restrictions or by unrecovered demand. The paradigmatic case is that of hostelry, where 47% of those surveyed say they see their position in danger in the coming months. The Customer Support -a sector closely linked to gastronomic, tourist or cultural reserves-, with 45%, and the automotive -in the middle of a perfect storm between lack of semiconductors, rising energy prices and transition to electric vehicles-, with 31%, they complete the podium of ‘most insecure’.
This persistent insecurity, especially in certain sectors, contrasts with the optimism generally expressed by the businessmen consulted. 71% expect to hire, 10 points higher than last year. The sectors linked to Healththe computing and the pharmaceutical industry They will be the ones with the greatest pull and Catalonia will be the second territory (after Valencia) with the highest forecast of hiring. And entrepreneurs plan to hire because they expect to invoice more: 67% consider that their business will grow during this 2022.
Wages will rise, but not all
Inflation ended 2021 runaway, at its highest level in 30 years. Not so the salaries by agreement, which according to the official statistics of the Ministry of Labor increased by 1.5% (compared to average inflation of 3.1% and a CPI in December of 6.5%). The forecasts for the next year of Hays -consultant with imprint among many professionals who are not directly governed by an agreement- are that salaries will rise mostly, but in a clearly unequal way.
More of one in three companiesspecifically 36%, affirm that they will bet on the freezing of salary masses during this exercise. What, with the current inflation, will force a loss of purchasing power in their templates. And forecasts indicate that the rise in inflation will not subside substantially until mid-year at the earliest. The most frequent option among those who do intend to raise salaries is to bet on a figure not higher than 2.5%. If 36% bet on the freeze, 31% will go up 2.5% or less. And then there is another 31% who do say they are considering increasing payrolls above that 2.5%.
According to Hays, the sector that will register the greatest salary increases will be computer science or engineering, while the sectors most linked to tourism will be the ones that take the worst part.
Telecommuting: many request it, not all apply it
The Hays guide shows that the saying “teleworking is here to stay” has not been the case for a significant number of companies. According to her data, of all the companies that could materially telecommute, 42% have recovered 100% of the presence once the pandemic has allowed it. A figure that contrasts with the high support for remote work among employees who practice it. 73% of professionals who work remotely surveyed by Hays say they are happier thanks to having this option.
And the preferred modality is the hybrid, with days at home and days at the office but more weight of the former than the latter. Something that many companies have solved by adopting the 3+2 formula (3 in the office, 2 at home).