An Increase in Employment Expected in Real Estate Business

Employers in Croatia expect a decrease in the total number of employees at the end of 2010 compared to the end of the previous year by 0.3 percent, according to the results of an employer survey conducted for the fifth consecutive year by the Croatian Employment Service.

At the surveyed employers at the end of 2009, there were 676,894 workers or 44.2 percent of the total number of employees in Croatia, and by the end of 2010, according to employers’ forecasts, there could be 2,236 fewer, it was stated at today’s presentation of the survey results at the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship. A total of 3,438 surveyed (53.4 percent) expect an increased number of employed workers by the end of the year, while 3,002 employers responded that they expect a decrease in the number of workers. The largest percentage decrease in the number of employees is expected in construction, financial activities, and insurance activities, as well as in other service activities (2.2 percent). In contrast, employers in the real estate business expect an increase in the number of employees by four percent, and in administrative and support service activities, an employment growth of 5.5 percent is expected.

Employers forecast that in 2010 they will employ a total of 52,820 workers, indicating a planned employment rate (percentage relative to the total number of employees among surveyed employers) of 7.8 percent. The majority of employment (78.5 percent) is planned for a fixed term. A significant portion of fixed-term employment includes work in seasonal jobs where employers plan to hire 20,504 workers. Planned employment mainly refers to full-time work, in which employers intend to engage 50,767 workers. The greatest need for employment has been expressed by employers from the private or predominantly private sector. The need for new employment has been expressed by employers from all areas of activity, and according to the predictions of the surveyed, the largest number of workers could be employed in accommodation services, food preparation and serving, and in the manufacturing industry.

Considering the ratio of planned employment to the total number of employees in individual activities, the highest rate of new employment in 2010 is forecasted in accommodation services, food preparation, and serving – 40.9 percent. The lowest rates are predicted by employers in the supply of electricity, gas, and steam, financial and insurance activities, transportation and storage, as well as mining and extraction. The employer survey was conducted by the Croatian Employment Service over six weeks in January and February across the entire territory of Croatia through a questionnaire that was mailed to employers or personally delivered by the Service’s officials. The questionnaire was also available on the HZZ website. A total of 15,128 survey questionnaires were distributed to employers, and 12,620 responded. (H)