Q1 2020: Polish candidates look to improve skills

The employment market across Europe and Poland has rapidly changed due to the impact COVID-19, or Coronavirus, had on the economy when the lockdown to control the virus took effect.

Michael Page’s propriety survey data gives you a snapshot of the employment market across Europe and Poland, with our data collection running from 20th March, 2020 until 20th May, 2020, with a total of 5,075 returned surveys from 13 countries*.

Challenging conditions in the market

Over 29 % of Polish people we surveyed said they were currently unemployed, a rise compared to Q1 2019 where this percentage was at 24,5%. Of these respondents, 75 % explained they had been searching for work for between 0-3 months, highlighting the immediate impact the lockdown had on employment.

People looking to develop skills and work / life balance

However, there are bright spots. Over 54.7 % said they were looking for a job to develop new skills, compared to the 24.4 % who said they were looking due to unemployment.

37.8 % of people searching are looking for a better salary, whereas better work / life balance dropped to just 10.4 % of people.

Supporting the idea that people are changing jobs for reasons outside of benefits packages, over 32.8 % of people said they wanted to change due to a lack of professional growth.

What should employers talk to talent about?

According to our survey, employers can look towards great relationships 96.7 %, work / life balance 95.7 %, access to training 92.8 %, and being socially responsible 82.3 % as key areas to focus on when searching for new talent.

Conversely, focusing international mobility 44.0 % is no longer the magnet for talent that it was. However, as the current exceptional situation develops, so might the drivers for change regarding people searching for new opportunities.

Customer facing roles feeling the pinch

In terms of discipline, the lockdown has noticeably affected professionals in the General Management sector with over 13 % of respondents. Other disciplines affected are Finance / Accounting with 13.4 % and Engineering / Technical with 11.5 %.

These figures highlight the uneven effect the Coronavirus has had on employment, hitting customer facing roles and sectors much harder than logistics or IT, at 4.8 % and 3.8 % respectively, for example.

If you would like to discuss how we can help with your recruitment needs, get in touch with one of our specialist consultants.

*Countries participating in the survey: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Turkey, Sweden and Luxembourg.

Michael Page