GERMANY: A whiff of optimism in employment market

As the year drew to a close, German companies were planning to recruit more staff. The Ifo Employment Barometer rose to 106.7 index points in December from 105.4 points in November. Service providers were once again the main driver behind this development.
In manufacturing the employment barometer rose considerably, with firms gradually abandoning their cautious approach to recruitment. But in distribution there are growing signs of staff cuts in the future. Thanks to the mild winter weather to date, contractors, by contrast, are looking to hire staff. After somewhat sluggish developments last month, service providers also expressed a greater willingness to recruit additional staff.