June 2 (SeeNews) - Labour demand in Croatia fell 2.3% year-on-year in May, the first annual drop since the pandemic month of February 2021, a local think-tank said on Friday.
In May, the seasonally adjusted value of the Online Vacancy Index (OVI) measuring labour demand was 1.2% lower compared to the previous month, which is the first monthly decrease since December, the Institute of Economics Zagreb (EIZ) said in a monthly report.
However, seasonally adjusted data for the first two months of the second quarter indicate a moderate growth in the second quarter of 2023 on a quarterly level, both compared to the previous quarter and on an annual level.
Seasonal jobs in tourism are the main reason for the decrease in labour demand, most probably because seasonal hiring, which is usually at its peak in May, this year started much earlier, it explained.
The most sought-after occupations have remained the same compared to May 2022 (salesperson, waiter, cook, warehouse worker, and driver), although the number of job advertisements for both waiters and cooks decreased in May on an annual level.
The largest drop in the number of job advertisements in absolute terms on an annual level in May was recorded for cooks, programmers, and waiters, while the highest increase was recorded for auto-mechanics and bricklayers.