2019 Annual financial report

4.1 TALENT

2019 was crucial in terms of the Group’s transformation, making it possible to promote a new generation of managers to strategic positions. Over the year, 100 million euros was invested in talent. Over 100 managers were promoted internally and 150 were recruited externally.

4.1.1 Key figures

Breakdown by region and main job category and function

EMPLOYEES

BREAKDOWN BY REGION
NORTH AMERICA 27,098
SOUTH AMERICA 6,081
EUROPE/ RUSSIA 21,762
MIDDLE EAST/ AFRICA 3,863
ASIA PACIFIC 24,431

BREAKDOWN BY MAIN JOB CATEGORY AND FUNCTION
Commercial 18%
Media 17%
Creative 12%
Administration & Management 14%
Production, specialized activities and others 39%

a) Total headcount in 2019: 83,235 employees.

The net variation of employees is broken down as follows:

• arrivals: 31,245 in 2019;
• departures: 31,077 in 2019. These departures reflect the permanent adaptation of the workforce in line with the Group’s profound transformation: both reorganizations during the implementation of the new “Power of One” organization by country (rather than by network), and the restructuring due to the loss of clients, particularly in the United States in the consumer goods business. Publicis Groupe is a company whose entities and agencies carry out regular adjustments and which always prioritizes internal solutions; 
• turnover 2019: 24.0%. 

The staff turnover rate is equal to the cumulative number of voluntary departures of employees with permanent contracts during the year, divided by the average annual number of employees with permanent contracts. The differences between agencies, or between countries in the same region, are narrowing. In 2019, the Group continued its transformation as an extension of the Sprint to the Future strategic plan.

b) The Group’s employment contracts are drawn up in compliance with the framework of local laws and regulations for permanent contracts and temporary contracts. Depending on the local context and the temporary needs of certain projects, freelance service contracts are drawn up for independent workers. Employee contracts can be broken down as follows:

• permanent contracts: 92.7% of total workforce; 91.1% of women and 94.3% of men are employed under a permanent contract; 
• temporary contracts: 7.3% of total workforce; 8.9% of women and 5.7% of men are employed under a temporary, fixed-term contract.

Work is organized around project management requirements and is tailored to meet client needs and the expectations of the employees themselves. Work time is managed locally on the basis of local legislation and regulations; timescales on some projects can be tight, requiring a certain amount of flexibility from employees. This leads to an organizational flexibility that must be shared by all, as clients are faced with the same challenges. In consideration of the expected flexibility on the part of employees, local agency management puts measures in place to compensate them for their efforts, giving them more time off over the summer (for example, Friday afternoons off in the summer in several US agencies) or during major holidays, as is the case in China, India and the United States.

Working from home (WFH) is applicable to all employees (95%) including teleworking from clients premises or from Group entities when possible. Flex management is in place in nearly all entities with variations linked to certain roles or the local legal framework.

c) The absenteeism rate within the Group is estimated at 2.02%⁽¹⁾.