The Finance and Insurance sector shows the strongest hiring intentions, according to the Employment Expectations Survey for the first quarter of 2026: 27%, followed by Construction and Real Estate with +20%. Conversely, the Public Sector, Health, and Social Services sector reports the weakest hiring expectations, with a Net Employment Expectation (ENE) of -3%. Similarly, the region with the strongest hiring expectation is the Northeast (NEA), at 15%, while Cuyo reports the weakest intentions at 0%, according to an analysis by the Argentine News Agency. The results reveal that 30% of surveyed employers plan to increase their workforce, 18% plan to decrease it, 35% do not expect changes, and the remaining 17% are unsure if they will make any during the period surveyed. Increased Optimism The fieldwork was conducted by ManpowerGroup between October 1 and 31, 2025, and the results show that optimism among Argentine business leaders is growing for this first stage of the year. This is reflected in the Net Employment Expectation (ENE) for this period, which is +10%, thus showing an increase of 5 percentage points in the quarterly comparison. The data were obtained after surveying more than 700 Argentine employers, who reported a seasonally adjusted Net Employment Expectation (ENE) of +10%, meaning the value represents an increase of 5 percentage points from the previous quarter and reflects an 11-percentage-point increase in the year-over-year comparison. In nine of the eleven economic activities surveyed, employers expect to increase their payrolls during the first quarter of 2026. Unlike the fourth quarter of 2025, hiring expectations increased in eight of the eleven industrial sectors surveyed. The highest reported growth corresponds to Finance and Insurance, with an increase of 17 percentage points, followed by Information, with a 16-percentage-point increase. In the year-over-year comparison, expectations strengthen in nine of the eleven economic activities. The most significant increase is seen in the Finance and Insurance sector with a 20-percentage-point increase. Changing Expectations 'After four quarters with null and low job creation expectations, Argentine business leaders are more optimistic for the first quarter of 2026,' reflects Luis Guastini, General Director and President of ManpowerGroup Argentina and Director of Talent Solutions for Latin America. He adds: 'Argentina managed to leave last place in the global expectations ranking, but is still far from our neighboring countries in terms of job generation.' Emerging Trends As 2026 approaches, a series of emerging trends are set to reshape the Human Resources landscape. From alternative work models to cutting-edge productivity strategies, these developments will fundamentally change our perspective on work and collaboration. In all surveyed regions of the country, employers expect to increase their payrolls during the first quarter of 2026, except for Cuyo, which plans to keep them unchanged. The Northeast (NEA) region leads this trend with an ENE of +15%, followed by Patagonia and Pampeana, both with an ENE of +13%; while Cuyo shows the weakest hiring expectations, revealing an ENE of 0%. Regional Hiring Intentions Compared to the previous period, the results indicate that hiring intentions are strengthening in four of the six regions. The Pampeana region leads this trend with a 9-percentage-point increase; conversely, the Cuyo sector reveals an 18-percentage-point decrease. In the year-over-year comparison, expectations increase in four of the six regions surveyed. The most significant growth is seen in the Northeast (NEA) region, with a 25-percentage-point increase, while Cuyo shows the largest decrease, of 16 percentage points. Elsewhere in the World In the Americas, all twelve surveyed countries expect increases in their hiring expectations for the first quarter of 2026. Brazil shows the highest hiring intentions in the region with an ENE of +57%, followed by Guatemala (+28%), the United States (+27%), and Mexico (+24%). Conversely, Argentina is the country with the weakest expectations in the region (ENE of +10%), followed by Costa Rica (ENE of +11%) and Chile (with an ENE of +13%). Worldwide, employers project increasing their payrolls in 40 of the 42 countries and territories surveyed.
