The Hays Spain labour market guide states that more than six out of ten companies plan to continue growing in 2022, increasing the hiring and salary of their employees.

Seven out of ten companies plan to hire in Spain this year. And more than six out of ten are planning to increase the salary of their employees and continue growing in 2022, according to Hays Spain's 2022 Labour Market Guide.

The data makes sense with the percentage of companies that have increased their business in 2022: 57% of the 1,300 organizations surveyed by the consultancy —when only 34% expected to do so.

With Health (83%) and Pharmas (69%) being the most benefited sectors.

While those who have experienced a reduction in their business are now 21% compared to 63% in 2021: automotive (50%) and retail (39%) have been the most affected.

Hays Spain labour market guide

Since the start of the pandemic, the report shows, Spanish companies have generated 1.4 million jobs. And the country closed 2021 with more jobs than ever: 777,000 more members and a historic fall in unemployment by 782,232 people.

But it is still the EU with the most unemployment in the European Union, with more than 3.4 million unemployed, double that in 2007 and above what it should be, according to Christopher Dottie MBE, Director general of Hays Spain.

In addition, points out Dottie, seniority privileges are maintained, for which "staying many years in the company-even if you are not satisfied-is safe".

The same reason only 14% of Spaniards of working age up to thirty are employed. And 48% from the age of forty-six.

"The impact of the big resignation in Spain is different, because in the labour market it is different. Being old means safe, " explains the executive.

6 out of 10 grow as per Hays Spain labour market guide

The percentage of companies (71%) that plan to hire in 2022 has grown ten percentage points in just one year.

In line with the data, companies expect their businesses to follow this trend in 2022. They are therefore willing to undertake recruitment which will increase the number of staff in 66 per cent of cases.

Health (89%), information technology (87%) and pharmaceutical (84%) are positioned as the sectors with the greatest predisposition to hire.

The data from Hays coincide with those of the last report presented by Michael Page, where it was announced that the areas of digital and sustainability expect to grow by 50% and the technology, health, and pharmacy sectors by 40% and 23%, respectively.

"In recent months there has been a very significant reactivation of the labour market that, if the situation allows, we expect to continue in 2022 and that has a translation in the evolution of wages, especially in those sectors that register a more marked recovery and in the most demanded profiles", explained the general director of PageGroup Spain, Jaime Asnai González.

However, those who have been hardest hit by the spread of the pandemic will continue to suffer in 2022: retail, hospitality, tourism, and leisure, both in Hays and PageGroup reports.

Wages increase too as per Hays Spain labour market guide

More than six out of ten are also planning to increase their employees ' salaries this year (67%), compared to nearly 4 out of 10 (45%) in 2021.

Over the past year, 52% of respondents had already increased their workers ' wages, compared to 45% who said they would do so in 2021.

However, both Hays and PageGroup warn that most of the increases will only be significant in the most demanded profiles —commercial, engineering and IT-or in the sectors with the greatest job offer —Health, IT and Pharma—.

This will be intricately linked to the war for talent in the same sectors and the expected wage inflation, which will not affect everyone equally.:

"Yes, there will be a war for talent, skills gap and wage inflation, but not a salary increases throughout Spain," said Dottie in the presentation of the guide to which he was invited.

Only 23% of the employees in contact with the consultant are afraid of losing their current position. The figure coincides with the prepandemic indicator and is considered an indication of a new economic cycle, according to Hays, especially when in the worst year of the pandemic it stood at 34%.

A figure as low as the current one triggers alarms in Spain about a possible big resignation, a movement that is being seen in the United States where 40% of employees value changing jobs, according to BBC.

Executives comment Hays Spain labour market guide

But the top executives of Hays and Page Group believe that this will not be the reality of Spain, even though 77% of professionals who would like to change jobs this year and that 68% are actively looking for work.

However, consultants have found that the main reasons for resignation in the country are low salaries (62%) and lack of motivation within companies (46%).

The latter is closely related to the telework offer: only 5% of companies suck for the total telework model, 53% already choose hybrid models and 42% recover the face-to-face model.

While 65% of workers who want to telework and do not have the option feel discouraged and 73% of those who can work remotely say they feel happier thanks to their position.

"People think differently for the first time in a generation. Those who have been 1 to 6 years do think more proactively, " points out Dottie.

But only 22% of workers have left their job without having other confirmed options, the same percentage as in 2021.

Eighty-three percent of the companies surveyed by Hays acknowledge having problems finding qualified profiles in certain positions-mainly because of the skills gap, the war for talent and the salaries demanded by these professionals.

The percentage is twelve percentage points above the level of 2021, but has already reached prepandemic levels, when it was around 85%.

Problems issued by Hays Spain labour market guide

Fifty percent of companies say that the gap between the supply of professionals and available vacancies is the main problem of the labour market, followed by the difficulty in finding these profiles (40%).

But, really, 53% of children under twenty-four in active employment in Spain are overqualified in their job, according to Asampleo data reported previously. Forty-four percent of those between 25 and 34 years of age also.

In addition to motivation and its determinants, both reports highlight that the main motivations of employees to stay in the company or want to change jobs are remunerative: salary, culture and reputation, career development and benefits.

On the side of social and emotional benefits, points out Dottie, they prioritize flexibility, well-being, work-life balance, telework, corporate culture and career and training plans.

"In the coming months we also expect the definitive consolidation of new work models, such as hybrid environments, in which the expectations and needs of organizations and employees in terms of flexibility and reconciliation converge," defends Asnai González.

De facto, the Hays report highlights that, both from the point of view of professionals and companies, the only way to retain talent will be by valuing conciliation —which includes the possibility of teleworking—, stability, career development, culture, and time flexibility.

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