In the Q4 2025 edition of the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, 12,437 employers across ten countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME) region shared their hiring expectations for the final quarter of 2025, along with insights into the drivers shaping workforce strategies.
Key Findings:
- APME Net Employment Outlook stands at +28%, unchanged from the previous quarter and up five percentage points year-on-year.
- Hiring optimism is strongest in the U.A.E. (+45%), followed by India (+40%) and Brazil (+36%), whilst Hong Kong (6%), Japan (12%), and the U.K. (11%) report the most cautious forecasts.
- Industry outlooks reveal Information Technology (38%) and Financials & Real Estate (38%) as the most buoyant sectors, followed by Transport, Logistics & Automotive (32%) and Industrials & Materials (26%).
- Company expansion remains the leading driver of hiring intentions, cited by 41% of employers, while 28% point to technological advancements as a key reason for creating new roles, surpassing the global average (24%).
- Economic challenges and market shifts are the top reasons behind workforce reductions, cited by 37% and 32% of employers respectively.
- Large enterprises (5,000+ employees) report the highest hiring expectations (39%), compared with only 13% among micro businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
- Talent acquisition challenges remain significant, with 46% of employers citing difficulty in attracting qualified candidates as the top concern. Nonetheless, 67% feel confident in the effectiveness of their hiring processes.
- Retention strategies are increasingly focused on work-life balance and workload management (47%), followed by employee recognition (38%) and flexible scheduling (35%), particularly in healthcare and consumer goods sectors.
