A clear-cut European labour market? Well, that doesn’t exist. Just as much as you could make the argument that the job market in the US can’t be viewed as singular, Europe is renowned for hosting many cultures and subcultures across its member states. Knowing the differences and intricacies of the continent will undoubtedly help you recruit more successfully across borders. Just that was at the heart of Intelligence Group’s newest report: the European Talent Intelligence Manual 2022.
“These surprising insights are the secrets to being successful in recruiting.”
Based on extensive research and combining that with the finest data from Eurostat, Intelligence Group recently launched the first European manual of its kind. “With the emergence of the Talent Intelligence phenomenon, local customisation in the recruitment approach can be automated”, said Geert-Jan Waasdorp, founder of the research company. “The important arguments of scalability and uniformity have to be met. In general, these surprising insights are the secrets to being successful in recruiting. Which local job boards work? Which social media are effective ad what are the specific motivations of employees on a country-by-country basis? All the dos and don’ts for each individual country are in there.”
The remaining 14 insights
So — which surprising insights does this first-ever edition of the European Talent Intelligence Manual 2022 exactly yield? In the first article delved into the first 13 insights. In this second article, we delve into the 14 remaining insights (and countries in the report)
#14. Bulgaria’s noteworthy low minimum wage
With an average minimum wage of 332 euros per month, Bulgaria ranks last in the entire continent. Latvia (500 euros), Lithuania (500 euros) Romania (515 euros) round off the top four. On the other end of the spectrum, not every country has a listed average of minimum wage. Of the countries that are included, The Netherlands ranks highest with 1.725 euros, while Belgium (1658 euros) and Germany (1621 euros) are not too far behind.
With an average minimum wage of 332 euros per month, Bulgaria ranks last in the entire continent.
#15. Women are more educated
No, that’s not just a statement. In Europe, 54% of women between the age of 25 and 34 are in possession of a tertiary degree, compared to 35% of men. That’s a staggering 19% difference. The average between the two lies at 40.5%.
#16. But a larger percentage of men have work
European Union countries have a total, combined population of 447 million. Of that number, 77.1% is part of the working population. Of that 77.1%, 92.8% currently have a job and are working members of the working population. The total participation percentage of women lies at 88.7%, while the participation percentage of men lies slightly higher at 93.1%.
The total participation percentage of women lies at 88.7%, while the participation percentage of men lies slightly higher at 93.1%.
#17. People over fifty are unlikely to be hunted
Recruiters are hunting more to solve staff shortages. But if you’re over fifty, you’re not likely to be on the receiving end of their recruiting sniper. Norway heads up the list, where 70% of those over fifty are said to never be contacted by recruiters. France (67%), Germany (64%), Belgium (60%) and Denmark (58%) round off the top five in terms of a lack of recruiter contact. Intelligence Group found much lower (and therefore better) scores in Poland (37%), Bulgaria (42%) and Greece (43%), where the elderly are hunted more.
Norway heads up the list, where 70% of those over fifty are said to never be contacted by recruiters.
#18. Job boards are still hot
Even though job boards have been on the receiving end of their fair share of criticism, European jobseekers still seem to take to them in their attempts to find jobs. Jobseekers in a broad scope of countries — Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, UK, Sweden, and Switzerland — still list job boards as their primary orientation channel for a new job.
#19. France’s window advertisements
While the hospitality industry may still lean on window advertisements to attract candidates, it’s not a stretch to say window vacancies are largely a thing of the past. That sentiment rings true for most of Europe, with the sole exception of France. While search engines rank first among the nation’s favourite orientation channels (31%), window advertisements (30%) rank second on the list. Rest assured; France is the only country to have window advertisements on the list.
While search engines rank first among the nation’s favourite orientation channels (31%), window advertisements (30%) rank second on the list.
#20. The pension-savvy Dutch
When is the last time you used a pension plan in your employer branding strategy — or even in a job ad? Well, if you’re looking at recruiting in The Netherlands, now is the time to start. While jobseekers in many European countries generally don’t view a pension plan as an important decision point, the Dutch see it as the most important working condition. Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway, and the UK are the only other countries where it ranks in the top three.
The Dutch see the pension plan as the most important working condition.
#21. The application process shouldn’t last longer than 22 days
Mañana, mañana. Well, when it comes to the application process, it’s hoy, hoy. When the Spanish don’t want the application process to take longer than 18 days, it’s a must to shorten the process where possible. Generally, the number of days lie anywhere between 18 and 22 days across the continent. Slovakia (33 days) and Sweden (31 days) are notable outliers. Meanwhile, Bulgarians, Czechs and Lithuanians are even less patient: they’re giving you a maximum of 15 days.
#22. Commuting isn’t an issue for everyone
An acceptable commute time is one of the 5 most important pull factors for Belgians, British, French, Danes, the Dutch, Hungarians, Norwegians, Italians, Slovaks, Czechs, and the Swiss, but nowhere else. That is quite remarkable, because those countries are generally renowned for their road infrastructures. It appears that the better the roads, the more traffic jams… the more people view commuting as a potential issue.
It appears that the better the roads, the more traffic jams… the more people view commuting as a potential issue.
#23. Europe’s next generation wants flexibility
The report also includes insights on students across the various countries, the continent’s next generation. And they have spoken when it comes to their desire for flexibility in their future jobs. Among students in the 24 countries, 16 name flexible working hours as their number one working condition. Students in the remaining eight countries all name flexibility as their second most important working condition.
Among students in the 24 countries, 16 name flexible working hours as their number one working condition.
#24. Two applications are plenty
In many other countries on the European labour market, interviewees generally view two job applications as enough before they’ve found a job. The French seem a little more judicious when it comes to their job search; the research indicates that they need at least three job applications.
#25. Feedback, please
When it comes to the application process, European jobseekers seem generally hungry for personal feedback. In Estonia and the Netherlands, jobseekers go as far as naming it their number one aspect of the process. In Denmark, for example, being able to apply easily online ranks atop the list, while the French value ‘being able to present themselves’. The Swiss, meanwhile, seem keen on a meeting with the team manager.
#27. Local job boards are still the way to go
Several countries still have a local job board as their most popular job board. The Belgians have vdab.be, in Bulgaria Zaplata.bg, and in Slovenia Mojedelo.com. Prace.cz is the Czech Republic’s favourite, Profesia.sk in Slovakia, ejobs.ro in Romania, pracuj.pl in Poland, Ams.at in Austria, Cvmarket.lv in Latvia, profession.hu in Hungary, Kariera.gr in Greece. In Estonia cvkeskus.ee, in Denmark Jobindex.dk, and in Portugal net-empregos.com.
#28. Spain’s great migration
With over 750,000 people immigrating to Spain and nearly 300,000 Spaniards leaving, Spain’s total migration numbers are highest. At the time of this study, the Germany had a migration surplus of more than 310,000 people and the UK of 320,000 people. However, virtually all other countries remained well below 100,000. Some even had an emigration surplus, such as Romania, Denmark and Belgium.
