- 56% of employers plan to increase the number of
employees in 2022
- 54% of employees in qualified roles are considering a career change in 2022
- Employees in the positions of financial controllers and analysts, e-commerce
experts, IT recruiters, FMCG and technology salespersons, employees in retail
chains and construction; or highly specialized employees in pharmacy or
production might earn higher wages in 2022.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to affect
global economies and labor markets, including the Czech labor market. However,
despite another strong pandemic surge in the winter and spring of 2021,
positive changes are evident. Companies again intensify their recruitment, they
have successfully implemented hybrid work schemes, wages have risen slightly in
2021, and many industries plan to increase salaries this year as well,
according to Hays' annual Salary Guide.*
Lockdown in the first third of 2021 caused a freeze
on recruitment in many companies, and new job opportunities were usually sought
only by those candidates for whom the change was crucial. Employers mainly
focused on setting up new working regimes, adapting the work environment to the
new style of work, which, probably permanently, will mean greater flexibility
and a greater proportion of work from home. In the summer, the easing of
restrictions brought a new lease of life to the labour market. Companies
intensified recruitment and the number of candidates who were actively
searching new jobs also increased. However, not enough to meet the needs of
employers. Thus, the need to approach candidates directly has increased
significantly, so headhunting is no longer a recruitment method used
exclusively for top management roles, and operational roles are increasingly
being filled in this way.
"The candidate
shortage across the professions will most likely not ease in 2022. The need for
applicants to fill open vacancies will be huge, and it will put further
pressure on accelerating automation in many industries - mostly in production
or logistics. According to the survey, 56% of companies plan to increase the
number of employees, and another 14% will consider recruitment according to the
situation during the year," says Sándor Bodnár, Managing Director of Hays in the Czech Republic
and Romania.
Over the past year, the skilled jobs market has seen moderate wage growth,
typically in the 3-5% range on average. "It is still the case that the highest chance for higher salaries are
offered to profiles that are typically in high demand - currently, for example,
online marketing, operational financial roles, experts in research and
development, IT professions. On an individual basis, wage increases may be
higher, by 15% on average, depending on the urgency of the employer and the
type of position. We can expect increased upward pressure on wage growth this
year due to labour shortages, but also rising consumer prices and thereby
inflation. However, companies most often plan to maintain growth at the current
level, i.e. not exceeding 5%, " comments Sándor Bodnár on the results
of the survey.
However, considering current economic developments
and especially the growth of inflation in recent weeks, the wage growth in 2022
remains an open topic.
LABOUR
MARKET DEVELOPMENTS IN SELECTED BUSINESS SECTORS
Accountancy
& Finance
The sector is facing a shortage of candidates for
operational roles. The most sought-after professionals who meet the
requirements of companies are not actively looking for a new job opportunity,
but employers do not compromise on their requirements and wait for ideal
candidates with proper qualification, managerial and language skills.
Opportunities for managers have decreased significantly, mainly due to team
mergers and centralization. Companies looking for candidates for managerial
roles thus have a choice of many quality candidates, but financial managers
find it difficult to find a new job. The most sought-after professions include
an independent accountant, financial controller and analyst, preferably with
English language skills. Wage growth in these positions is expected to be
around 6%.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Independent Accountant
|
45 000
|
65 000
|
Junior Financial
Controller
|
40 000
|
50 000
|
Finance Analyst
|
55 000
|
75 000
|
Banking
As banks usually do not compete significantly with
the offered salary and the offer of benefits to the candidates, staff turnover
between individual institutions is low and it is therefore necessary to approach
applicants without previous experience in this environment. The biggest number
of open positions is in retail banking, some more vacancies appear as a result of
digitization of services, for example in the field of business analysis. The
pandemic has led to an increase in online and telephone communication with
clients, so even employees in financial institutions can now enjoy greater
flexibility and a higher ratio of work from home, which is usually 1-3 days a
week, depending on the role. The expected increase in wages in the area of back
office roles will be around 5% this year, basic wages in the front office will
rather stagnate. Potential wages increase will rather concern the bonus
component, which could reach up to 30% of the gross monthly salary.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Personal Banker -
retail
|
28 000
|
38 000
|
Investment Specialst
|
40 000
|
48 000
|
Risk Analyst
|
50 000
|
80 000
|
Administration
& HR
Due to the higher proportion of work from home,
administrative positions have decreased significantly, and we will probably not
see a significant increase this year either. Positions are usually paid at a
similar levels as was usual in the years before the onset of the pandemic.
However, the importance of HR departments is fundamentally changing, being now
transformed into crisis teams, dealing with cases of covid-positive employees,
prevention and safety at work, and amendments to labour law documents. The
significant increase in recruitment last year caused a massive increase in
demand for recruiters in all fields, but most in IT. Thus, an enhanced bonus
component and hiring bonus which can amount to one month´s salary for IT
recruiters, are no longer an exception.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Receptionist
|
25 000
|
35 000
|
HR Specialist
|
40 000
|
55 000
|
IT Recruiter
|
50 000
|
80 000
|
Sales
& Marketing
The need for experienced salespeople and experts,
especially in online marketing and e-commerce, continued to grow last year and
still remains at the forefront of interest of employers. However, the activity
of applicants is low and therefore it is important to focus on other
recruitment techniques, such as headhunting and approaching candidates directly.
The lack of people with the right experience forces companies to compromise on
requirements and consider also motivated candidates with experience from other
business sector. Wage growth in Sales will be evident mainly in the technical
segment, especially in industrial automation and electrical engineering, and
also in the area of online marketing and e-commerce across market segments, it
can reach up to 7-10%. The wages might also increase in FMCG industry, where
there is a risk of an outflow of applicants to sectors with high potential.
Here, the growth may reach 3-7%.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Sales Representative
/ technical
|
37 000
|
65 000
|
Key Account Manager /
FMCG
|
60 000
|
95 000
|
Online Marketing
Specialist
|
45 000
|
80 000
|
Information
Technology
The number of job offers for IT experts is growing
again, it is no exception when candidates have up to 5 job offers to consider
and choose from. The possibility of remote work has increased, which allows
companies to expand the selection of candidates beyond the location and
surroundings of the employer´s operation throughout the Czech Republic. This
trend can potentially contribute to a levelling of wages between Prague and
other regions. Listed roles are now generally more complex, with the most
sought-after profiles still being developers, cyber security or cloud
technology experts, data and business analysts. However, there is no widespread
wage growth, any increases are more on an individual basis.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Developer, Java, .Net
|
60 000
|
120 000
|
DevOps Engineer
|
80 000
|
130 000
|
Data Analyst
|
70 000
|
80 000
|
Engineering
Sector continues to face a shortage of commodities
for manufacturing companies, especially the automotive industry and they are
therefore unable to plan their activities accurately. Some industries have seen
growth in terms of demand and production capacity, such as development centres
or the packaging industry. Candidates in development and automation are in high
demand- PLC programmers, PLC test engineers, automation technicians; the most
popular profiles include a combination of IT and engineering knowledge such as
SW or Electrical Engineer. On these roles, there is also the greatest
probability of obtaining a more attractive salary, but the increase will be
rather on an individual basis, according to the current urgency of the company.
Role (3-5 yrs exp.)
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
PLC Programmer
|
45 000
|
85 000
|
Quality Engineer
|
50 000
|
80 000
|
Project Engineer
|
50 000
|
75 000
|
Construction
& Property
The
construction sector is very active across areas. Not surprisingly, logistics
and residential construction are the busiest, and administrative buildings are
not left behind either. In particular, Property and Facility managers with
several years of experience, as well as quality managers and sustainability
experts, which is a trend in commercial construction, are in demand. Although
the level of basic wages in the sector stagnated, there was a visible shift in
the bonus components and the offer of benefits. The bonus components have been
increased by an average of 15%, and the trend in benefits is to build a
tailor-made portfolio where employees select benefits according to their needs.
Basic wages are expected to increase in the construction sector by up to 10% on
average this year due to staff shortages.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Property Manager
|
50 000
|
90 000
|
Facility Manager
|
45 000
|
80 000
|
Construction Manager
/ Development
|
60 000
|
120 000
|
Shared
Services Centres
In terms of demand for employees, the shared
services sector was one of the busiest in 2021. New job roles appeared mostly
in customer service and financial services. There were relatively enough
candidates on the market, given that as a result of the pandemic, some
companies decided to end their operations in the Czech Republic. Other
companies, on the other hand, strengthened their teams, so workforce supply and
demand were relatively balanced. Applicants now have higher wage demands, which
is often a complication in the recruitment process. Companies that have been
able to adapt to these increased financial requirements, albeit at the expense
of some benefits, are more successful in attracting candidates. Reducing travel
restrictions will bring foreign applicants to the Czech market, who will help to
fill difficult-to-fill roles, for example those with non-standard language
combinations or knowledge of atypical technology.
Role
|
Minimum
|
maximum
|
Customer Service
Specialist
|
40 000
|
48 000
|
AP/AR Specialist
|
39 000
|
48 000
|
IT, 1st level Support
|
43 000
|
50 000
|
*Methodology:
The recruiting trends and benefits data is based on a survey among 937
candidates and 511 employers conducted in October 2021. The salary data has
been compiled using information gathered during 2021 from the Hays Czech
Republics’ database, considering thousands of job listings, job offers and data
from Hays´ candidate database.