The labor demand grew by 2.9% during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 and continues its positive trend; although the most relevant data was recorded between April and June, with the first quarter of year-on-year growth since 2022, which could be the doors to a most significant increase during the second half of the year.
He Labor Monitor of Advice The job market for the first half of 2024 recorded some 33,727 job opportunities published between January and June of this year, which meant an increase of 2.9% in demand compared to the first half of 2023; and 2.1% compared to what happened in the second half of last year.
The optimistic reading of these figures indicates that, with a second quarter of positive results – the first three months in which year-on-year growth was recorded since 2022 – it would be possible to leave behind the relative stability of recent times to begin a segment of the curve with a more pronounced rise, further energizing the Uruguayan employment.
Also in June the 6,000 mark was surpassed. employment opportunities published —another figure not reached since 2022—, 12% more compared to the same month in 2023 and 3.8% more than in May of this year.
Regarding the characteristics of the employment demanded, the five activities with the highest demand so far have been Management Sales and Marketing (25%), Management accounting and Finance (16%), Information technology (14%), Logistics and Transportation (10%) and finally Engineering and Trades (8%).
However, the report showed that the Information Technology group – which in 2020 gained relevance and positioned itself as the second group that generated the most employment opportunities in Uruguay- returned to third place, the position it occupied before the pandemic. This situation responds, on the one hand, to a lower demand for health services software from USA which, in turn, finds an explanation in the general normalization of the demand of the sector after its exponential growth in the period 2020 – 2022, driven by the digital boom effect of Covid-19.
More job opportunities, albeit with lower qualifications
Now, the Advice report puts the spotlight on the job demand profile over the last year, and explains that while there was an increase in employment opportunities, these were mostly for positions of low-skilled and unskilled.
In this regard, only 12% of the opportunities surveyed are for leadership positions, while the remaining 88% are for operational positions. Likewise, within operational positions, medium and high-skilled positions (31%), low-skilled positions (37%) and elementary occupations (20%) were required.
Refering to experience, The report notes that employers have moderated their demand for experience, specifically in mid- and high-skilled positions and leadership positions, given the difficulty of finding candidates to fill their vacancies. Meanwhile, the demand for technological skills and soft skills continues to grow — 1.2% and 2.2%, respectively — in a continuous trend that has not stopped since 2019.
Source: Ambito
