Labor Market 2024: Mobilization, Staff Shortage and High Salary Expectations

The labor market in 2024 was marked by significant changes caused by mobilization, staff shortage and rising salary expectations. The European Business Association (EBA) has published the results of a survey that covered 216 HR professionals from various sectors of the economy.

According to the survey, 88% of companies opened new vacancies in 2024, and 87% increased salaries for their employees. However, the shortage of qualified personnel remains a serious problem: 71% of respondents indicated its significant impact, although this is 3% less than in the previous year. At the same time, 56% of companies invested in personnel development.

The key challenges of the year were labor shortage, rising candidate salary expectations, as well as mobilization and the outflow of employees abroad. Only 4% of companies said they were not experiencing staffing difficulties, while 25% reported a partial shortage.

Regarding job openings, 93% of companies were filling new positions, of which 3% focused on internal candidates or former employees. At the same time, 7% of companies did not open any vacancies at all.

The outlook for 2025 also looks mixed. About 46% of the companies surveyed plan to expand their staff, 47% do not expect changes in the number of employees, and 7% are preparing for layoffs.

In 2024, employers paid significant attention to employee support. Almost all companies (98%) paid salaries in full, and 84% paid additional bonuses. Half of employers (56%) invested in staff development, 46% provided psychological support, and 21% helped their employees with renting housing. Such comprehensive measures have become an important factor in maintaining the stability of teams and increasing their loyalty.