Adecco Spain general director Iker Barricat Christmas 2021 says that "the hiring in the Christmas campaign will grow up to 20% compared to 2020", according to Iker Barricat, general director of Adecco in Spain

The forecasts for hiring in the next Christmas campaign are optimistic, as confirmed by the general director of Adecco Spain, Iker Barricat.

"Since last May, there has been a consistent recovery in activity. This leads to the forecasts for this Christmas campaign being substantially better than last year," says Barricat.

Adecco Spain general director Iker Barricat Christmas 2021

According to data from Adecco, a group specialized in human resources management, the growth in terms of hiring will be around 15% and 20% compared to 2020.

This figure compares with the negative impact of the coronavirus on employment linked to the 2020 Christmas campaign, when 34.5% fewer hires were registered than in 2019, according to Randstad data, as previously reported.

This year, to the promising numbers that are expected for the next Christmas are added the temporary hiring of Black Friday, which in 2020 surpassed Christmas as the main campaign of the year, and the next sales, which could start between the first and the second week of January, like previous years.

However, it should be noted that the tension in the supply chain is still far from improving and some experts who have spoken, warns that it could jeopardize the Christmas campaign.

Adecco Spain general director Iker Barricat Christmas 2021

"We are waiting for a large number of contracts to be made," Barricat told in an interview in which he also assessed the impact of the rise in the interprofessional minimum wage on the recovery of the labour market.

The executive recognizes that it does not have a crystal ball, but believes that the data anticipate that the recovery of the labor market in Spain —to even be at better levels than the prepandemic ones— could be about to arrive.

"In terms of stationary figures, we are already seeing figures showing the recovery of activity levels prior to the pandemic," he says.

According to the data published this October by the Ministry of Labor, the Spanish labor market has managed to accumulate 7 consecutive months of reduction in unemployment for the first time since 2000, while the Social Security registered the highest level of affiliates in history and added the fifth month of job creation.

Adecco Spain general director Iker Barricat Christmas 2021

"Looking at the evolution of the labour market, the position of economic activity and what companies are saying, I think that this recovery will normally occur during next year," says the director of Adecco Spain.

According to Barricat, 8 out of 10 HR directors have recruitment plans in the coming months. Although, as expected, not all sectors will live in the same way.

"In global terms, we can recover that activity. But there will be sectors that have been strengthened after this pandemic and other sectors that may be damaged," he warns.

Those who benefited most from the Christmas campaign in 2020 were logistics and e-commerce. This year, they will continue to reinforce the upward trend they have maintained since the beginning of the pandemic.

Adecco Spain general director Iker Barricat Christmas 2021

"Ecommerce, logistics and food have been sectors that have pulled a lot of the economy. Social health and education have also grown, but in terms of volume they are a little less material," he confirms.

Meanwhile, among those who have suffered the most from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there also seems to be a "significant opportunity for growth," says Barricat. We talk about tourism and services, "which could give many joys in the coming months".

In fact, the latest data recorded at the offices of the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) showed that unemployment had fallen in all sectors, but especially in the service sector.

Now, one of the main challenges will be to train and qualify the professionals affected so that they can join the sectors of activity that are pulling the economy.

"Beyond reaching the levels of employment we had before the crisis, we must try to ensure that no one is left behind and that these people can have access to a job," Barricat says.