The WEC Industry Impact Report is a strong reminder of the essential role private employment agencies play in today’s labour markets. Despite economic uncertainty, our industry continues to enable access to work, support career transitions, and strengthen labour market resilience. These outcomes reflect the structural value of effective labour market intermediation.
As demographics shift, skills gaps widen, and technology accelerates change, this report underscores the importance of a dynamic, responsible, and future‑ready HR services sector.


61 million people. That is how many individuals private employment agencies helped into jobs in 2024. Not despite the economic headwinds, during them.

#Global HR services revenues fell 4.2% in 2024. Hiring caution spread across Europe and North America. Uncertainty was the defining word of the labour market.

And yet: more people were placed in jobs than the year before. The WEC's Industry Impact Report 2026 tells a story about structural resilience, and about who our industry really serves: 
🔹 86% of agency work placements were full-time 
🔹 1 in 4 temporary workers converted to a permanent role 
🔹 40% of agency workers are women, often re-entering after a career break 
🔹 23% are over 45, navigating a labour market that too often forgets them 
🔹 570,000 people were guided through major career transitions (+9% YoY)
 
The hardest skills to find? Care economy professionals, regulatory experts, and customer-facing digital talent. These are not niche shortages, they reflect deep structural shifts in demographics, governance and technology.

At a moment when #AI is transforming hiring, demographics are tightening supply, and #skills mismatches are widening, the case for effective #LabourMarket intermediation has never been stronger.

Read the full report at https://lnkd.in/dbuhPkfF