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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III is incorporated by reference from the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 5, 2023.
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ManpowerGroup Inc.
Form 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
The terms “we,” “our,” “us,” "ManpowerGroup," or “the Company” refer to ManpowerGroup Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Item 1. Business
Introduction and History
ManpowerGroup Inc. is a global leader in innovative workforce solutions. Through our network of over 2,200 offices in approximately 75 countries and territories, we put millions of people to work each year with our global, multinational and local clients across all major industry segments. Our strong and connected brands provide solutions that drive organizations forward, accelerate individual success and help build more sustainable communities. We power the future of work.
By offering a comprehensive range of workforce solutions and services, we help companies improve strategy, quality, and efficiency, increase productivity and reduce costs across their workforce to achieve their business goals. ManpowerGroup’s offerings of innovative workforce solutions and services includes:
Our expert family of global brands - Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions - provide innovative workforce solutions across approximately 75 countries and territories for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year.
Manpower is a global leader in contingent staffing and permanent recruitment, providing strategic and operational flexibility to organizations and connecting people to meaningful work while helping them develop skills to stay employable. With our data driven insight into people’s motivation, skills adjacencies, and performance potential, we provide learning programs, on the job training and market based certifications for rapid reskilling and upskilling at scale.
Experis is a global leader in information technology (IT) professional resourcing and project services specializing in Enterprise Applications, Business Transformation, Cloud and Infrastructure, Digital Workspace and Cyber Security. As digital transformation and skills shortages continue in the technology field, Experis provides talent with the combination of in-demand technical skills together with the soft skills that are critical for business success.
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Talent Solutions combines leading global offerings Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), TAPFIN - Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Right Management to provide data-driven capabilities that help organizations with their workforce transformation. Talent Solutions helps organizations more effectively source, manage and develop talent at scale. From talent attraction and acquisition to upskilling, development and retention, we leverage our integrated HR tech stack PowerSuite™ to deliver workforce solutions across multiple countries at scale.
Our leadership position enables us to be a pathway to quality employment opportunities for people at all points in their career journey and we have connected people to meaningful work for more than 70 years. Governments and policy makers in the markets where we operate look to us to provide employment advice, opportunities and training to assist the unemployed in gaining the skills they need to enter the workforce, providing a bridge to employment and helping build more sustainable communities.
We, and our predecessors, have been in business since 1948 when we were incorporated as a Wisconsin corporation, and have had our shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1967.
Our website address is www.manpowergroup.com. The Investor Relations section (investor.manpowergroup.com) provides our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, we also make available through our website:
Documents available on the website are also available in print for any shareholder who requests them. Requests may be made by writing to Richard Buchband, Secretary, ManpowerGroup, 100 Manpower Place, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212. We are not including the information contained on or available through our website as a part of, or incorporating such information by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our Operations
Client demand for workforce solutions and services is dependent on the overall strength of the labor market and secular trends toward greater workforce flexibility within each of the segments where we operate. Improving economic growth typically results in increasing demand for labor, resulting in greater demand for our workforce solutions and staffing services while demand for our outplacement services typically declines. During periods of increasing demand, we are generally able to improve our profitability and operating leverage as our cost base can support some increase in business without a similar increase in selling and administrative expenses.
Correspondingly, during periods of weak economic growth or economic contraction, the demand for our staffing services typically declines, while demand for our outplacement services typically accelerates. When demand drops, our operating profit is typically impacted unfavorably as we experience a deleveraging of our selling and administrative expense base as expenses may not decline at the same pace as revenues. In periods of economic contraction, we may have more significant expense deleveraging, as we believe it is prudent not to reduce selling and administrative expenses to levels that could negatively impact the long-term potential of our branch network and brands.
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The nature of our operations is such that our most significant current asset is accounts receivable, with a days sales outstanding of 56 days as December 31, 2022. Our most significant current liabilities are payroll related costs, which are generally paid either weekly or monthly. As the demand for our services increases, we generally see an increase in our working capital needs, as we continue to pay our associates on a weekly or monthly basis while the related accounts receivable is outstanding for much longer, which may result in a decline in operating cash flows.
Conversely, as the demand for our services declines, we generally see a decrease in our working capital needs, as the existing accounts receivable are collected and not replaced at the same level, resulting in a decline of our accounts receivable balance, with less of an effect on current liabilities due to the shorter cycle time of the payroll related items. This may result in an increase in our operating cash flows; however, any such increase would not be expected to be sustained in the event that an economic downturn continued for an extended period.
Due to our industry’s sensitivity to economic factors, the inherent difficulty in forecasting the direction and strength of the economy and the short-term nature of staffing assignments, it is difficult to forecast future demand for our services with certainty. As a result, we monitor a number of economic indicators, as well as recent business trends, to predict future revenue trends for each of the countries and territories where we operate. Based upon these anticipated trends, we determine what level of personnel and office investments are necessary to take full advantage of growth opportunities.
During the last several years, secular trends toward greater workforce flexibility have helped create demand for our innovative workforce solutions and services around the world. As companies attempt to increase the variability of their cost base, the workforce solutions we provide help them to effectively address the fluctuating demand for their products or services. As the global economy continues to grow and adapt with new technology, we are helping clients manage their workforce transformation and ensure they have the right skills now and in the future. Whether it is through workforce assessments, targeted training or by creating longer-term development paths, we help organizations and candidates adapt their skills to changing workforce needs.
Our portfolio of recruitment services includes permanent, temporary and contract recruitment of professionals, as well as administrative, industrial and IT professional positions. These services are provided under our Manpower and Experis brands. We have provided services under our core Manpower brand for more than 70 years with a primary focus on the areas of office and industrial services and solutions. Our Talent Based Outsourcing offering within our Manpower brand includes outcome-based solutions such as management of financial and administrative processes, including call center and customer service activities.
We provide IT resourcing and services under our Experis brand. Our experience and expertise allow us to accurately assess candidates’ workplace potential and technical skills to match them to the needs of our clients. We plan to continue to build our Experis brand and attract the talent our clients need as skills shortages arise or continue.
Our Talent Solutions brand specializes in the delivery of customized workforce strategies and new solutions and creating added value that addresses our clients’ complex global workforce needs. Through our RPO offering, we manage customized, large-scale recruiting and workforce productivity initiatives for clients through exclusive outsourcing contracts. We can manage a single element or all of a client's permanent recruiting and hiring processes, from job profiling to on-boarding, globally or in a single location. MSP services include overall program management, reporting and tracking, supplier selection and management and order distribution. The MSP and RPO offerings both provide specialty expertise in contingent workforce management and broader administrative functions. Our Right Management offering includes our career management services that have historically been counter-cyclical to our staffing services, which helps to offset the impact of an economic downturn on our overall financial results.
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Americas
We provide services as Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions through both branch and franchise offices. The Americas segment had 445 branch and 138 franchise offices as of December 31, 2022. In the United States, where we realized 71% of the Americas’ revenue, we had 302 branch and 131 franchise offices as of December 31, 2022, as well as on-site locations at clients with significant permanent, temporary and contract recruitment requirements. In Other Americas, the largest operations of which include Mexico, Canada and Argentina, we had 143 branch offices and 7 franchise offices as of December 31, 2022. We provide a number of central support services to our branches and franchises, which enable us to maintain consistent service quality throughout the region regardless of whether an office is a branch or franchise.
Our franchise agreements provide the franchisee with the right to use the Manpower® service mark in a specifically defined exclusive territory. In the United States, franchise fees generally range from 2% to 3% of franchisee sales. Our franchise agreements provide that in the event of a proposed sale of a franchise to a third party, we have the right to acquire the franchise at the same price and on the same terms as proposed by the third party. We have exercised this right in the past and may do so in the future if opportunities arise.
Our Manpower and Experis operations provide a variety of workforce solutions and services, including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, assessment and selection, and training. During 2022 in this segment, approximately 29% of permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 17% from placing office staff, and 54% from placing professional and technical staff. For our United States operations in 2022, approximately 31% of the permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 11% from placing office staff, and 58% from placing professional and technical staff.
Our Talent Solutions operations provide a variety of workforce solutions offerings including RPO, MSP and Right Management.
Southern Europe
We are a leading provider of permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, assessment and selection, training and outsourcing services throughout Europe. The Southern Europe segment had 1,148 branch offices as of December 31, 2022. Our largest operations in this segment are in France (56% of the segment revenue) and Italy (20% of the segment revenue).
During 2022 for our Southern Europe operations, approximately 72% of permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 14% from placing office staff, and 14% from placing professional and technical staff.
We conduct our operations in France as a leading workforce solutions and service provider through 606 branch offices as Manpower, Experis, including our Proservia brand, and Talent Solutions, and 166 branch offices under the name Supplay as of December 31, 2022. The employment services market in France calls for a wide range of our services including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, assessment and selection, and training. The temporary recruitment market is predominantly focused on recruitment for industrial positions. In 2022, we derived approximately 84% of our permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues in France from placing industrial and construction workers, 15% from the placing of office staff, and 1% from the placing of professional and technical staff.
In Italy, we are a leading workforce solutions and services provider. As of December 31, 2022, ManpowerGroup Italy conducted operations through a network of 207 branch offices. It provides a comprehensive suite of workforce solutions and services offered through Manpower, Experis or Talent Solutions, including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, assessment and selection, training and outsourcing. In 2022, approximately 66% of our permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues in Italy were derived from placing industrial staff, 5% from placing office staff, including contact center staff, and 29% from placing professional and technical staff.
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Northern Europe
Our largest operations in Northern Europe are in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Nordics and the Netherlands, providing a comprehensive suite of workforce solutions and services through Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions. Collectively, we operate through 332 branch offices in this region.
During 2022 for our Northern Europe operations, approximately 38% of permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 22% from placing office staff, and 40% from placing professional and technical staff.
In the United Kingdom, where we have the largest operation in this segment, we are a leading provider of workforce solutions and services. As of December 31, 2022, we conducted operations in the United Kingdom as Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions through a network of 59 branch offices and also provided on-site services to clients who have significant permanent, temporary and contract recruitment requirements. During 2022 for our United Kingdom operations, approximately 22% of permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 38% from the placing of office staff, and 40% from the placing of professional and technical staff. In the United Kingdom, we also conduct operations as Brook Street Bureau PLC, or Brook Street. Its core business is secretarial, office and light industrial recruitment. Brook Street operates as a local network of branches and competes primarily with local or regional independents. Brook Street’s revenues are comprised of temporary and contract placements as well as permanent recruitment.
APME
We operate through 137 branch offices in the Asia Pacific Middle East (APME) region. The largest of these operations are located in Japan, Australia, India and Korea, all of which operate through branch offices. Our APME operations provide a variety of workforce solutions and services offered through Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions, including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, assessment and selection, training and outsourcing. During 2022, approximately 8% of our APME permanent, temporary and contract recruitment revenues were derived from placing industrial staff, 56% from placing office staff, and 36% from placing professional and technical staff.
Competition
We compete in the employment services industry by offering a broad range of services, including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, project-based workforce solutions, assessment and selection, training, career and talent management, managed service solutions, outsourcing, consulting and professional services.
Our industry is large and fragmented, comprised of thousands of firms employing millions of people and generating billions of United States dollars in annual revenues. In most areas, no single company has a dominant share of the employment services market. In addition to us, the largest publicly owned companies specializing in recruitment services are The Adecco Group and Randstad. We also compete against a variety of regional or specialized companies such as Recruit Holdings, Allegis Group, Kelly Services, Robert Half, Kforce, PageGroup, Korn/Ferry International and Alexander Mann. It is a highly competitive industry, reflecting several trends in the global marketplace such as the increasing demand for skilled people, employers’ desire for more flexible working models and consolidation among clients and in the employment services industry itself. We manage these trends by leveraging established strengths, including several of the employment services industry’s most recognized and respected brands; geographic diversification; size and service scope; an innovative product mix; recruiting and assessment expertise; and a strong client base. While staffing is an important aspect of our business, our strategy is focused on providing both the skilled employees our clients need and higher-value workforce management, outsourcing and consulting solutions.
Our client mix consists of both small- and medium-size businesses, and large national and multinational client relationships, which comprised approximately 60% of our revenues in 2022. Client relationships with small- and medium-size businesses are based on a local or regional relationship, and tend to rely less on longer-term contracts, and the competitors for this business are primarily locally-owned businesses. The large national and multinational clients, on the other hand, will frequently enter into non-exclusive arrangements with several firms, with the ultimate choice among them being left to local managers.
As a result, employment services firms with a large network of offices compete most effectively for this business which generally has agreed-upon pricing or mark-up on services performed.
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Legal Regulations
The employment services industry is closely regulated in all of the major markets in which we operate, except the United States and Canada. Employment services firms are generally subject to one or more of the following types of government regulation:
In many markets, the existence or absence of collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations has a significant impact on our operations and the ability of clients to use our services. In some markets, labor agreements are structured on an industry-wide, rather than company-by-company, basis. Changes in these collective bargaining agreements have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future and may have a material impact on the operations of employment services firms, including us.
In most countries, workforce solutions and services firms are considered the legal employers of temporary and contract workers. Therefore, laws regulating the employer/employee relationship, such as tax withholding or reporting, social security or retirement, health and other benefits, anti-discrimination and workers’ compensation, govern the firm.
In many countries, particularly in continental Europe and Asia, entry into the employment services market is restricted by the requirement to register with, or obtain licenses from, a government agency. In addition, a wide variety of ministerial requirements may be imposed, such as record keeping, written contracts and reporting. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada do not presently have any form of national registration or licensing requirement.
In addition to licensing or registration requirements, many countries impose substantive restrictions on the use of temporary and contract workers. Such restrictions include regulations affecting the types of work permitted, the maximum length of assignment, wage levels or reasons for which temporary and contract workers may be employed. In some countries, special taxes, fees or costs are imposed in connection with the use of temporary and contract workers. For example, temporary and contract workers in France are entitled to a 10% allowance for the uncertain duration of employment, which is eliminated if a full-time position is offered to them within three days after assignment termination.
Our outplacement and consulting services generally are not subject to governmental regulation in the markets in which we operate.
In the United States, we are subject to various federal and state laws relating to franchising, principally the Federal Trade Commission’s Franchise Rules and analogous state laws which impact our agreements with our franchised operations. These laws and related rules and regulations impose specific disclosure requirements. Virtually all states also regulate the termination of franchises.
Changes in applicable laws or regulations have occurred in the past and are expected in the future to affect the extent to which workforce solutions and services firms may operate. These changes could impose additional costs, taxes, record keeping or reporting requirements; restrict the tasks to which contingent workers may be assigned; limit the duration of or otherwise impose restrictions on the nature of the relationship (with us or the client); or otherwise adversely affect the industry.
Trademarks
We maintain a number of registered trademarks, trade names and service marks in the United States and various other countries and territories. We believe that many of these marks and trade names, including ManpowerGroup®, Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management®, Brook Street®, Jefferson Wells®, Supplay® and MyPath® have significant value and are materially important to our business. In addition, we maintain other intangible property rights. The trademarks have been assigned an indefinite life based on our expectation of renewing the trademarks, as required, without material modifications and at a minimal cost, and our expectation of positive cash flows beyond the foreseeable future.
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Employees
We had approximately 30,900 full-time equivalent employees as of December 31, 2022. In addition, we recruit millions of permanent, temporary and contract workers on a worldwide basis each year on behalf of our clients.
As described above, in most jurisdictions, we, as the employer of our temporary and contract workers or as otherwise required by applicable law, are responsible for employment administration. This administration includes collection of withholding taxes, employer contributions for social security or its equivalent outside the United States, unemployment tax, workers’ compensation and fidelity and liability insurance, and other governmental requirements imposed on employers. In most jurisdictions where such benefits are not legally required, including the United States, we provide health and life insurance, paid holidays and paid vacations to qualifying temporary and contract employees.
Human Capital
We Are a Workforce Solutions and Human Capital Company.
Human capital management is at the core of our business. Our purpose is to provide meaningful and sustainable employment and is rooted in our values: People, Knowledge and Innovation. Our 30,900 employees, spanning approximately 75 countries, help improve the lives of more than 500,000 workers daily by providing guidance, advice, assessments, coaching, upskilling, reskilling and pathways to long-term sustainable employment. These efforts support local economies by increasing employability and opportunity for the millions of lives that we reach each year. Through our ESG Plan, Working to Change the World, we work to address these challenges under our People & Prosperity pillar, with a focus on how we can become Creators of Talent at Scale and continue delivering on our purpose.
For more than 70 years, we have developed global insights on the issues and trends impacting organizations and individuals in today’s fast changing world of work. Our own research and solutions, coupled with partnerships with clients and Non-Governmental Organizations (e.g. World Economic Forum, World Employment Confederation, Junior Achievement, World Business Council on Sustainable Development), are helping us advance the global discussion around current topics. These include the impact of digitization, shifting in-demand skills, exacerbating talent shortages, and the increased need for reskilling and upskilling. Our most recent annual Talent Shortage Survey reported that 75% of companies cannot find the skilled workers they need – the highest number in 16 years.
We Seek to Create Talent at Scale
Our Manpower MyPath program is designed to deliver targeted upskilling at speed and scale to our Manpower associates in order to accelerate their employability at higher wage levels, while also growing the pool of in-demand talent for our clients. Through this program, Manpower recruiters provide personalized and data-driven guidance, development, training, and access to jobs especially in growth sectors including advanced manufacturing, information technology, supply chain and customer service. MyPath has impacted over 200,000 lives through 2022, and MyPath associates now represent 38% of our associate talent pool, across nearly 13,000 clients and 15 markets.
We are also targeting the creation of IT talent through our Experis Academy. This accelerated development program features custom-designed curricula to upskill people into specialized roles that can meet the demand for cloud, infrastructure, business transformation and digital workforces skills. Paired with coaching and soft skills training, upon completion most Academy graduates receive a permanent job offer from our clients. Through the end of 2022, we have graduated more than 1,700 developers while also bridging the skills gaps for more than 160 tech companies across 14 countries.
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We Are Focused on Championing DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging), Strengthening Our Culture and Developing Our People
Our Global Footprint
We have a global footprint, though our teams are managed locally: 30% of our people are in the Americas, 31% in Southern Europe, 22% in Northern Europe and 17% in Asia Pacific/Middle East.
Championing DEIB
We believe that all people deserve to feel safe, respected and able to thrive in the workplace. Our focus on DEIB encompasses four goals: (1) globally, support gender diversity at leadership levels; (2) locally, address a second dimension of diversity based on gaps or opportunities within a country; (3) culturally, foster an inclusive environment that supports our diverse workforce; and (4) societally, advance employment security for workers while promoting upskilling, well-being, flexibility and income opportunity.
We believe that diversity starts at the top. Our Board of Directors has exceeded 30% gender diversity for more than 10 years, is 17% racially diverse and 42% non-US born. Our Executive Leadership Team, which reports directly to the CEO, is 27% women, 36% racially diverse and 72% non-US born. Our Global Leadership Team, the top 95 leaders in the company, is 33% women.
Our gender parity goal is 50% at the global leadership level by 2025.
Gender diversity is our primary DEIB goal across all markets; in addition, our 17 largest markets have also established secondary diversity targets. These have been developed to reflect socio-economic challenges, cultural references and data privacy requirements specific to each of these countries. Examples include: First Nations representation in Australia, people with disabilities in Japan, young people in Mexico, LGBTQ+ in the Netherlands, age diversity in Spain, and racial and ethnic diversity in the US.
Championing DEIB in our workplaces also means that we prioritize people’s health and wellbeing and have committed to flexible work models across the globe to attract, engage and retain our people. In a number of markets, we have launched initiatives and trained our managers to promote greater awareness of mental wellbeing.
Developing our People
We believe our success in creating value for individuals and organizations around the world will depend on our ability to leverage the potential of our own people. We are investing in our people to support both our strategic ambitions and their personal goals.
In 2022, we continued to broaden and deepen our investment through our Leadership Development Programs, incorporating the 3 E’s of our development philosophy: Education, Exposure and Experience.
Upon completion of these programs, the majority of our people have made positive leadership career moves.
In 2022, we also increased our focus on learning through investment in the development of our Sales Academy, our Talent Agent program and our internal Experis Talent Academy while curating new online micro-courses for all employees.
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Strengthening our Culture
Listening to our people is key to supporting an inclusive and resilient culture. Through annual and regular pulse surveys we can understand employee sentiment around various items from the effectiveness of our people and culture strategy, to leadership, ethics and values and development opportunities. After launching our Culture Matters initiative in 2021, we continued our commitment to strengthening our employee engagement during 2022. Over the last two years, thousands of employees across 30 countries have completed more than 28,000 “sprints” and “drills”, experimenting with new cultural behaviors to begin building them into daily routines.
We believe these efforts have enhanced employee engagement, as reflected in our ManpowerGroup Annual People Survey (MAPS) results. This survey, which had an 81% response rate in 2022, gives voice to our employees worldwide to share opinions, feedback, and opportunities for improvement. We have analyzed the results to identify actions we can take to strengthen our culture at the global and local levels.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (each a "forward-looking statement"). Statements made in this report that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we and our representatives may make statements that are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current assumptions and expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. This section provides you with cautionary statements identifying, for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, important factors that could materially adversely affect our business, operational and financial results and cash flows. In addition, these factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this report or otherwise made by us or on our behalf. You can identify these forward-looking statements by forward-looking words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “may”, “will”, “believe”, “seek”, “estimate”, and similar expressions. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We caution that any forward-looking statement reflects only our belief at the time the statement is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
The following are some of the factors that could materially adversely affect our business, operational and financial results and cash flows or cause actual results to differ materially from estimates contained in our forward-looking statements. Risks in this section are grouped in the following categories: (1) Company and Operational Risks; (2) Strategic Risks; (3) Financial and Market Risks; and (4) Regulatory and Legal Risks. Many risks affect more than one category, and the risks are not in order of significance or probability of occurrence because they have been grouped by categories.
Company and Operational Risks
Strategic Risks
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Financial and Market Risks
Regulatory and Legal Risks
Some or all of these factors may be beyond our control. We caution you that any forward-looking statement reflects only our belief at the time the statement is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made.
RISK FACTORS
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the following factors which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations (including revenues and profitability) or stock price. Our business is also subject to general risks and uncertainties that may broadly affect companies. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or stock price.
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Company and Operational Risks
Our results of operations have been and may in the future be materially adversely affected by volatile, negative, or uncertain economic conditions, including the risk of recession.
Our business is sensitive to changes in global macroeconomic conditions. We have at times experienced uncertainty and volatility in global economic conditions, including in rates of growth or decline in the markets we serve. Our operating countries and regions, which are increasingly interdependent, have experienced periods of volatile growth patterns or declines, and we expect that global conditions will continue to be characterized by instability and unpredictability. Such conditions have and may continue to cause our clients to reduce or defer their spending on new projects that require our solutions which could decrease demand for our various staffing services. For example, the future economic impact of COVID-19 continues to be uncertain and unpredictable and global economic conditions, as well as our business, could be affected by the emergence of new variants, the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments, and governmental or individual actions in response to new COVID-19 developments. If our business growth is slow, or if it contracts for an extended period of time, this could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our profitability is sensitive to decreases in demand. Based on current macroeconomic conditions, there is a significant risk that our most important markets will experience a recession, which would likely be accompanied by a decline in demand for our services. When demand drops or remains low, our operating profit is impacted unfavorably as we experience a deleveraging of our selling and administrative expense base as expenses do not decline as quickly as revenues. In periods of decline, we may not be able to reduce selling and administrative expenses without negatively impacting the long-term potential of our branch network and brands. Additionally, some clients may slow the rate at which they pay us, or become unable to pay their obligations and our cash flow and profitability may suffer.
Economic conditions in the countries and territories where we do business may be affected by recent or emerging events, such as the rise of populism, political volatility, civil violence and unrest, election results or other changes in ruling parties or governmental leadership, trade disputes, protectionism or changes in global trade policies, the global refugee crisis, social justice movements, energy shortages or instability in the global energy market, COVID-19 and other global health crises, changes in immigration policy, the impact of supply chain challenges on our clients, changes in employment policy, rising interest rates, inflation, the impact of terrorist activity, or by other political or economic developments. In addition, there is a risk the current inflationary environment could have an impact on the countries and territories where we do business. We are particularly susceptible to changes in demand patterns and economic conditions in Europe, which represents two of our operating segments and 64% of our revenue.
There is a risk that economic conditions in European markets may continue to be negatively impacted by geopolitical events which, in recent years, have included labor unrest, civil protest, heightened trade tensions, refugee crises and, since early 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war. Numerous countries have instituted sanctions and other penalties against Russia. The measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by the U.S., European Union, and others could result in retaliatory action by the Russian government, leading to an escalation and/or expansion in the scope of this conflict. The consequences of this are difficult to predict but may result in further sanctions, regional or global instability, and geopolitical shifts, heightened cybersecurity threats, further disruptions in the global supply chain, volatility in foreign exchange rates, and inflationary pressures. In addition, the conflict may cause energy shortages, price increases, or other instability in the global energy market, particularly in Europe where our business may be especially vulnerable to these conditions. For example, during 2022 our operations in France had an outsized exposure to the Russia-Ukraine war due to the impact of supply chain constraints on demand for our services in certain sectors, primarily automotive and construction, and to a lesser degree, logistics. Any of these events or trends could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results, particularly our European operations.
There is a risk that even when overall global economic conditions are positive, we could experience declines in all, or in portions, of our business. During past periods of recovery, we have experienced inconsistent results, with some geographical regions, or countries within a region, suffering declines or weakness in economic activity while others improve. Differing economic conditions and patterns of economic growth or contraction may affect demand for our solutions and services, and there is a risk that, even during times of strengthening global economic conditions, we may not experience uniform, or any, increases in demand for our solutions and services within the markets where our business is concentrated.
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Even without uncertainty and volatility, it is difficult for us to forecast future demand for our services due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting the direction and strength of economic cycles, and the short-term nature of many of our staffing assignments. When it is difficult for us to accurately forecast future demand, we may not be able to determine the optimal level of personnel and office investments necessary to profitably operate our business or take advantage of growth opportunities.
We may lack the speed, agility, and resiliency to effectively operate our business and respond to the needs of our clients.
There is a risk we may not be able to respond with sufficient speed and agility to the needs of our diverse clients, which span all industries and whose needs may change rapidly as their businesses and industries evolve. The size and breadth of our organization, comprising approximately 30,900 employees based out of over 2,200 offices in approximately 75 countries and territories, may make it difficult for us to effectively manage our resources, to maintain our corporate culture throughout the organization, to drive service improvements and to provide coordinated solutions to our clients who require our services in multiple locations. For example, client demands for uniform service across borders may be difficult to satisfy because of variation in local laws and customs. We see a trend in more multi-country and enterprise-level relationships, and we may have difficulty in profitably managing and delivering projects involving multiple countries. Also, our size and organizational structure may make it difficult to develop and implement new processes and tools across the enterprise in a consistent manner. If we are not effective at anticipating or meeting the widely ranging needs of our current and prospective clients, or our competitors are more agile or effective at doing so, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected.
Our ability to perform at speed, and to meet client expectations, may also be adversely affected by limitations in our own information systems and those of our third-party vendors. We are increasingly dependent on these systems, which are subject to damage or interruption from multiple causes, including power outages, facility damage, computer and telecommunications failures, vandalism, malware, hacking and other malicious acts, catastrophic events and human error. If our information systems are damaged, fail to work properly, or otherwise become unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and may experience reputational damage, loss of critical information, customer disruption, and interruptions or delays in our ability to perform essential functions and implement new and innovative services.
The worldwide employment services industry is highly competitive with limited barriers to entry in many markets, which could limit our ability to maintain or increase our market share or profitability.
The worldwide employment services industry is highly competitive with limited barriers to entry in many markets, and in recent years has undergone significant consolidation. We compete in markets throughout the world with full-service and specialized employment services agencies. Several of our global competitors, including The Adecco Group and Randstad, have very substantial marketing and financial resources, and may be better positioned in certain markets. Portions of our industry may become increasingly commoditized, with the result that competition in key areas could become more focused on pricing. We expect that we will continue to experience pressure on price from competitors and clients. There is a risk that we will not compete effectively, including on price, which could limit our ability to maintain or increase our market share and could materially adversely affect our financial results. This may worsen as clients increasingly take advantage of low-cost alternatives including using their own in-house resources rather than engaging a third party.
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We could incur liabilities or suffer reputational damage from a cyberattack or improper disclosure or loss of personal or confidential data, and our use of data is subject to complex and ever-changing privacy and cybersecurity legal requirements that could negatively impact our business or subject us to claims and/or fines for non-compliance.
In connection with the operation of our business, we store, process and transmit a large amount of data, including personnel and payment data, about our employees, clients, associates and candidates, a portion of which is personal data and/or confidential data. We expect our use of data to increase, including through the use of analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). In engaging in these data-related activities, we rely on our own technology systems and software, and those of third-party vendors we use for a variety of processes, including, but not limited to cloud-based technology and systems, mobile technologies and social media. Unauthorized access to, disclosure, modification, use or loss of personal data and/or confidential data may occur through a variety of methods. These include, but are not limited to, ransomware, systems failure, employee negligence or malfeasance, fraud or misappropriation, or unauthorized access to or through our information systems, whether by our employees, vendors or third parties, including a cyberattack by hackers, members of organized crime and/or state-sponsored organizations, who may develop and deploy supply chain interruptions, social engineering attacks, viruses, worms or other malicious software programs, or obtain credentials to our systems through other unrelated cyberattacks.
An incident involving disclosure, system failure, data modification, loss or security breach could harm our reputation and subject us to significant monetary damages or losses, litigation, negative publicity, regulatory enforcement actions, fines, criminal prosecution, as well as liability under our contracts and laws that protect personal and/or confidential data, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenues. Cybersecurity threats continue to increase in frequency and sophistication, thereby increasing the difficulty of detecting and defending against them. In the past, we have experienced data security breaches resulting from unauthorized access to our systems and other fraudulent activities, such as social engineering, which to date have not had a material impact on our operations or financial results. We regularly engage an independent external security firm to assess our defenses to a potential cyberattack, and these assessments may uncover new or additional vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could lead to a compromise of our systems and/or a loss of personal data. In a recent evaluation, vulnerabilities were identified that could facilitate or contribute to a security incident involving personal data. The assessment firm was able to penetrate defensive protections adopted by us, as well as protections that we obtain from third party providers. We are prioritizing the resolution of security gaps that could lead to a loss of personal data or to other damage. Despite our efforts to identify and address vulnerabilities in our systems, vulnerabilities in software products used by us are disclosed by our software providers on a daily basis, and attackers grow continuously more sophisticated in their attack methods, making it impossible to give assurance that our cybersecurity efforts will be successful.
There is a risk that our and our third-party vendors’ preventative security controls and practices will be inadequate to prevent unauthorized access to, disclosure of, or loss of personal and/or confidential data, or fraudulent activity, especially given that third party attacks have become more common. In the past, our data has been exposed due to data security breaches at our third party vendors, but to date none of these incidents have had a material impact on our operations or financial results. Any such future events, such as unauthorized access or fraudulent activity with our third parties could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more of our employees are working from their homes or other remote locations which makes it more difficult for us to monitor their activities, the security of their work locations, insider threats, and data exfiltration. This has increased the risk of security incidents, which could include unauthorized access to, disclosure of, or loss of personal and/or confidential data, as well as other types of fraudulent activity. Any such unauthorized access or fraudulent activity could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
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The potential risk of security breaches, fraud and cyberattacks may increase as we continue to introduce services and offerings, whether mobile, cloud, or otherwise. Any additional services and offerings inevitably increase the potential for a cyberattack against us. Further, data privacy and cybersecurity are subject to frequently changing laws and regulations, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), the EU Court of Justice’s opinion in the “Schrems II” decision (which invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield) and the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), as well as additional legislation in place, or expected to become effective, in various U.S. states and other countries. These laws and regulations are increasing in number, complexity, burden and potential financial penalties, and are often inconsistent among the various jurisdictions and countries in which we provide services. For example, the GDPR and the CPRA impose significant compliance obligations that add costs and operational burdens to our business with respect to our collection, use, storage and retention of personal data. Compliance with these obligations could reduce operational efficiency and increase our regulatory compliance costs, and failure to satisfy these requirements may lead to significant regulatory enforcement actions and/or large private litigation in the event of a security breach or other violation. Under the GDPR, the maximum fine can be up to 4% of a company’s global revenue, and there is no maximum penalty under the CPRA. In addition, our liability insurance might not be sufficient in scope or amount to cover us against claims and losses related to violations of data privacy and cybersecurity laws or security breaches, social engineering, cyberattacks and other related data disclosure, loss or breach.
We have outsourced aspects of our business, which could result in disruption, increased costs, and reputational risk.
We have increasingly outsourced, and may further outsource, important processes of our business to third party vendors, which exposes us to other risks, including increased costs, supply chain interruptions, potential disruptions to our business operations, and reputational risk. For example, we rely on third parties to host, manage and secure certain aspects of our data center information and technology infrastructure, to develop and maintain new technology for attracting, onboarding, managing, and analyzing our workforce, and to provide important back-office support. We have increasingly centralized our vendor profile so that we are reliant on a small number of vendors for highly critical corporate and technology functions. While we believe these third-party vendors provide greater efficiency and expertise, our dependence on a small number of vendors increases the risk that our business will be adversely affected if our vendors are unable to provide these services consistent with our needs. Similarly, our business continuity and our margins could be adversely affected if we needed to replace one of our critical vendors for performance or economic reasons.
Our operations also depend significantly upon these vendors’ and our ability to protect our data and to ensure the availability of our servers, software applications and websites. Despite our and our third-party vendors’ implementation of security measures, our systems remain susceptible to system failures, computer viruses, natural disasters, unauthorized access, cyberattacks and other similar incidents, any of which could result in disruptions to our operations. Our vendors have experienced data losses in the past, and we can expect such data incidents will occur in the future. A successful breach of the security of our technology systems, or those of our vendors, could result in the theft of confidential, personally identifiable, or other sensitive data, including data about our employees and/or associates, or our human resources operations, any of which could damage our reputation in the market. If we are not able to realize the savings associated with outsourcing services or if there is a disruption or security breach of our outsourced services that results in a loss or damage to our data, or in an inappropriate disclosure of confidential, personally identifiable, or sensitive data, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected.
A loss or reduction in revenues from large client accounts could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our client mix consists of both small- and medium-size businesses, which are based upon a local or regional relationship with our presence in each market, and large national and multinational client relationships. These large national and multinational clients will frequently enter into non-exclusive arrangements with several firms, and the client is generally able to terminate their contract with us on short notice without penalty. The deterioration of the financial condition or business prospects of one or more large national and/or multinational clients, or a change in their strategy around the use of our services, could reduce their need for our services and result in a significant decrease in the revenues and earnings we derive from them. A loss or reduction in revenues from our large national and multinational clients could have a material adverse effect on our business.
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If we lose our key personnel, then our business may suffer.
Our operations are dependent on the continued efforts of our officers and executive management and the performance and productivity of headquarters management and staff, our local managers and field personnel. Our ability to attract and retain business is significantly affected by local relationships and the quality of service rendered. If we were to lose key personnel who have acquired significant experience in managing our business or managing companies on a global basis or in key markets, it could have a significant impact on our operations.
Intense competition may limit our ability to attract, train and retain the qualified personnel necessary for us to meet our clients’ staffing needs.
Our business depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified associates who meet the requirements of our clients and possess skill sets and experience that match client needs. In many markets, we have recently experienced an unusually tight labor market, with historically low levels of unemployment, and there is a risk that we may be unable to meet our clients’ requirements in identifying an adequate number of associates. These labor shortages have been exacerbated by employees and potential employees leaving the labor market due to burn-out, resignation, early retirement, immigration challenges, workplace safety concerns, vaccine mandates, and childcare responsibilities. Workers have also impacted the labor market through increasing demands for change in employment conditions, such as demands for higher wages, remote work, and additional flexibility in work schedule. We must continually evaluate and upgrade our base of available qualified personnel through recruiting and training programs to keep pace with changing client needs and emerging technologies. This is especially acute for individuals with critical IT capabilities and other technology skills that are in high demand by many companies, as competition for such individuals with proven professional skills is intense, and we expect demand for such individuals to remain very strong for the foreseeable future. Qualified personnel with relevant skills may not be available to us in sufficient numbers and on terms of employment acceptable to us. Additionally, our clients may look to us for assistance in identifying and integrating into their organizations’ workers from diverse backgrounds, and who may represent different generations, geographical regions, and skillsets. These needs may change due to business requirements, or in response to geopolitical and societal trends. There is a risk that we may not be able to identify workers with skills that match client demand, or that our training programs may not succeed in developing effective or adequate skills. If we fail to recruit, train and retain qualified associates who meet the needs of our clients, our reputation, business and financial results could be materially adversely affected.
Our global operations subject us to certain risks beyond our control.
With operations in approximately 75 countries and territories around the world, we are subject to numerous risks outside of our control, including risks arising from political unrest and other political events, regional and international hostilities and international responses to these hostilities, strikes and other worker unrest, natural disasters, the impact of global climate change, acts of war, terrorism, international conflict, severe weather conditions, pandemics, including COVID-19, and other global health emergencies, disruptions of infrastructure and utilities including energy, cyberattacks, and other events beyond our control.
Although it is not possible to predict such events or their consequences, these events could materially adversely affect our reputation, business and financial results.
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Our ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on our reputation in the marketplace.
We believe our reputation, along with our brand equity in the ManpowerGroup name and our various other brands, are important corporate resources that help distinguish our services from those of competitors and also contribute to our efforts to recruit and retain talented employees. However, our corporate reputation is potentially susceptible to material damage by events such as disputes with clients, information technology security breaches, internal control deficiencies, delivery failures or compliance violations. Similarly, our reputation could be damaged by actions or statements of current or former clients, employees, competitors, vendors, franchisees and other third-party brand licensees, adversaries in legal proceedings, government regulators, as well as members of the investment community or the media. There is a risk that negative information about ManpowerGroup, even if based on rumor or misunderstanding, could materially adversely affect our business. Damage to our reputation could be difficult, expensive and time-consuming to repair, could make potential or existing clients reluctant to select us for new engagements, resulting in a loss of business, and could materially adversely affect our recruitment and retention efforts. Damage to our reputation could also reduce the value and effectiveness of the ManpowerGroup name and our other brand names, and could reduce investor confidence in us, materially adversely affecting our share price.
Changes in sentiment toward the staffing industry could affect the marketplace for our services.
From time to time, the staffing industry has come under criticism from unions, works councils, regulatory agencies and other constituents that maintain that labor and employment protections, such as wage and benefits regulations, are subverted when clients use contingent staffing services. Our business is dependent on the continued acceptance of contingent staffing arrangements as a source of flexible labor for our clients. If attitudes or business practices in some locations change due to pressure from organized labor, political groups or regulatory agencies, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We have only a limited ability to protect our thought leadership and other intellectual property, which is important to our success.
Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to protect our proprietary methodologies and other intellectual property including the value of our brands. Existing laws of the various countries in which we provide services or solutions may offer only limited protection. We rely upon a combination of trade secrets, confidentiality, license and other contractual agreements, and patent, copyright, and trademark laws to protect our intellectual property rights. We cannot be certain that the legal steps we are taking around the world are sufficient to protect our intellectual property rights and may not be adequate to prevent or deter infringement or other misappropriation of our intellectual property by competitors, former employees or other third parties. In addition, our intellectual property rights may not prevent competitors from independently developing products, services and solutions similar to ours. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, or changes in law that diminish or remove our current legal protections could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial results.
In addition, we cannot be sure that our services and solutions do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties, and these third parties could claim that we or our clients are infringing upon their intellectual property rights. These claims could harm our reputation, cause us to incur substantial costs or prevent us from offering some services or solutions in the future.
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Strategic Risks
We may be unable to effectively implement our business strategy, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve our objectives.
Our business strategy focuses on growing revenues while improving our operating profits. An important element of our strategy is our effort to diversify our revenues beyond our core staffing and employment services. This includes expanding our sales in higher margin professional resourcing, such as our Experis brand in IT recruitment. There is a risk that our growth strategy in Experis may be impeded due to the scarcity of talent in the IT field, which is particularly in demand, and which may restrict our ability to fulfill customer requirements. Similarly, another aspect of our strategy to expand beyond our core staffing and employment services is through the sale of innovative workforce solutions designed to achieve higher operating margins. Our higher-margin Right Management career management services have historically performed well in periods of downturn, and it is part of our business strategy that this counter-cyclical effect would help cushion our results in the event of a future period of decline. However, in the event of a downturn, there can be no assurances that the margin contribution from Right Management would increase, or that it would significantly offset other declines we might experience in the business. Additionally, our workforce solutions are often unique, non-repeatable and tailored to a client’s needs, and present costs, risks and complexity that may be difficult to calculate. These solutions may be unprofitable if we are not able to accurately anticipate these costs and risks in our pricing for these solutions. For example, we may fail to structure and price our solutions in a manner that properly compensates us to create an adequate delivery model, to adequately manage new solutions, or to obtain adequate insurance coverage in amount or scope to cover potential risks arising from such solutions.
Our business strategy also includes continuing efforts to transform how we use personnel and technology to enhance our delivery of services. Our goal is to become a more agile and effective competitor, to reduce the cost of operating our business and to increase our operating profit and operating profit margin. These efforts to transform how we do business may not be successful, and we may not succeed at reducing our operating costs or preventing the return of any costs that are eliminated. Additionally, reductions in personnel and other changes could materially adversely affect our ability to effectively operate our business. If, for these or other reasons, we are not successful in implementing our business strategy or achieving the anticipated results, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if we cannot successfully keep pace with technological changes in the development and implementation of our services and solutions.
Our success depends on our ability to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the development and implementation of our services and solutions. For example, rapid changes and regulatory restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics are having a significant impact on some of the industries we serve and could have significant and unforeseen consequences for the workforce services industry and for our business. There is a risk that these, or other developments, could result in significant rapid disruption to our business model, and that we will be unprepared to compete effectively.
Additionally, our business is reliant on a variety of technologies, including those which support applicant on-boarding and tracking systems, order management, billing, payroll, and client data analytics. There is a risk we will not sufficiently invest in technology or industry developments, or evolve our business with the right strategic investments, or at sufficient speed and scale, to adapt to changes in our marketplace. Similarly, from time to time we make strategic commitments to particular technologies to recruit, manage or analyze our workforce or support our business, and there is a risk they will be unsuccessful. These and similar risks could have a negative effect on our services and solutions, our results of operations, and our ability to develop and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
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Our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments and disclosures may expose us to risks and legal liability.
Our business could be impacted in several ways by our corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, including our goals for sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our acquisition strategy may be unsuccessful and may introduce unexpected costs.
From time to time, we make acquisitions of other companies or operating assets, including, in 2021, a significant acquisition of ettain group. These activities involve significant strategic and operational risks, including:
These risks could have a material adverse effect on our business because they may result in substantial costs to us and disrupt our business. The integration of prior acquisitions, as well as entry into future acquisition transactions, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. We could also incur impairment losses on goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life or restructuring charges as a result of acquisitions we make.
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From time to time, we undertake dispositions via sales, franchises, joint ventures or other exit activities, and we may face risks related to such transactions.
Occasionally, we dispose of parts of our operations in order to optimize our global strategic and geographic footprint and synergies. We have engaged in such dispositions in the past, including our dispositions of our businesses in Russia in January 2022, and in Hungary in December 2022, and we expect that we will continue to dispose of portions of our business that are not meeting our performance or strategic objectives. Among other alternatives, this could take the form of a closure of a business, the contribution of the business to a joint venture, or an exit by means of a sale to, or a franchise arrangement with, a third party. There are risks and costs associated with any exit activities, which could include difficulties in the separation of operations, services or personnel, the diversion of management attention, and the disruption of our business. Any such transactions may require regulatory or governmental approvals, which could impede the transaction. Divestitures may also involve continued financial involvement in, or liability with respect to, the divested businesses. As a result of divestiture transactions, we could incur severance charges for personnel and payments for lease and other commitments, charges from the impairment or write-off of assets, and other financial loss due to the transaction. Furthermore, there is the risk that we might lose customers, in particular multinational clients with operations in the exited countries or operations. Additionally, if we choose to enter into a franchise arrangement for a third party to operate our business in the exited region using our trademarks and other licensed assets, we face potential counterparty and reputational risks arising from the franchisee’s operation of the business. The reputational risks include the risk that marketplace participants, including clients, candidates and the media, may believe that we continue to control the operations of a divested or franchised business that operates utilizing our name or other trademarks.
Financial and Market Risks
Foreign currency fluctuations may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Although we report our results of operations in United States dollars, the majority of our revenues and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar, and unfavorable fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our reported financial results. Highly inflationary economies of certain foreign countries, such as Argentina in 2018, can result in foreign currency devaluation, which may also negatively impact our reported financial results.
During 2022, approximately 82% of our revenues were generated outside of the United States, the majority of which were generated in Europe. Furthermore, $986.5 million of our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2022, was denominated in foreign currencies, including $956.6 million related to our Euro-denominated notes (€900.0 million). Increases or decreases in the value of the United States dollar against other major currencies, or the imposition of limitations on conversion of foreign currencies into United States dollars, could affect our revenues, operating profit and the value of balance sheet items denominated in foreign currencies. Our exposure to foreign currencies, in particular the Euro, could have a material adverse effect on our reported results and shareholders’ equity, however, such fluctuations generally do not affect our cash flow or result in actual economic gains or losses unless we repatriate funds. Furthermore, the volatility of currencies may make year-over-year comparability of our financial results difficult.
We seek to mitigate our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations by utilizing net investment hedges and, from time to time, foreign currency forward exchange contracts and cross-currency swaps. Our Euro-denominated notes are designated as a hedge of our net investment in subsidiaries with a Euro-functional currency as of December 31, 2022, to mitigate our Euro currency translation exposure. The effectiveness of this hedge in part depends on our ability to accurately forecast future cash flows, which is particularly difficult during periods of uncertain or uneven demand for our services and highly volatile exchange rates. Further, hedging activities may only offset a portion, or none at all, of the material adverse financial effects of unfavorable fluctuations in foreign exchange rates over the time the hedge is in place or effective.
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Our liquidity could be adversely impacted by economic conditions affecting our clients.
Our working capital is primarily in the form of trade receivables which generally increase as sales increase. One of the ways in which we measure our working capital is in terms of working capital as a percent of revenue with a focus on Days Sales Outstanding (“DSO”). During periods of decline or uncertainty, our clients may slow the rate at which they pay their vendors, or they may become unable to pay their obligations. In addition, some clients have begun to impose more challenging billing terms, which increases the length of time before we receive payment for services. If our clients become unable to pay amounts owed to us, or pay us more slowly, then our DSO will increase, and our cash flow, liquidity, and profitability may suffer.
Our results of operations and share price could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to maintain effective internal controls.
The accuracy of our financial reporting is dependent on the effectiveness of our internal controls. We are required to provide a report from management to our shareholders on our internal control over financial reporting that includes an assessment of the effectiveness of these controls. Internal control over financial reporting has inherent limitations, including human error, the possibility that controls could be circumvented or become inadequate because of changed conditions, and fraud. Because of these inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting might not prevent or detect all misstatements or fraud. If we cannot maintain and execute adequate internal control over financial reporting or implement required new or improved controls that provide reasonable assurance of the reliability of the financial reporting and preparation of our financial statements for external use, we could suffer harm to our reputation, fail to meet our public reporting requirements timely, be unable to properly report on our business and our results of operations, or be required to restate our financial statements. If any of these were to occur, the market price of our securities and our ability to obtain new business could be materially adversely affected.
Our debt levels could materially adversely affect our operating flexibility and put us at a competitive disadvantage.
As of December 31, 2022, we had $986.5 million of total debt. Our level of debt and the limitations imposed on us by our credit agreements could have important consequences for investors, including the following:
Our failure to comply with restrictive covenants under our revolving credit facilities and other debt instruments could trigger prepayment obligations.
Our failure to comply with the restrictive covenants under our revolving credit facilities and other debt instruments could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in us being required to repay these borrowings before their due date. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected by increased costs and rates.
The lenders under our and our subsidiaries’ credit facilities may be unwilling or unable to extend credit to us on acceptable terms or at all.
If our liquidity needs increase, we would expect to use our revolving credit facility, which is provided by a syndicate of banks. Each bank in the syndicate is responsible on a several, but not joint, basis for providing a portion of the loans under the facility. If any of the participants in the syndicate fails to satisfy its obligations to extend credit under the facility, the other participants refuse or are unable to assume its obligations and we are unable to find an alternative source of funding at comparable rates, our liquidity may be materially adversely affected, or our interest expense may increase substantially.
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Furthermore, a number of our subsidiaries maintain uncommitted lines of credit with various banks. Under the terms of these lines of credit, the bank is not obligated to make loans to the subsidiary or to make loans to the subsidiary at a particular interest rate. If any of these banks cancel these lines of credit or otherwise refuse to extend credit on acceptable terms, we may need to extend credit to those subsidiaries, or the liquidity of our subsidiaries may be materially adversely affected.
The performance of our subsidiaries and their ability to distribute cash to our parent company may vary, negatively affecting our ability to service our debt at the parent company level or in other subsidiaries.
Since we conduct a significant portion of our operations through our subsidiaries, our cash flow and our consequent ability to service our debt depends in part upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and the distribution of those earnings to our parent company, or upon loans or other payments of funds by those subsidiaries to our parent company or to other subsidiaries. The payment of such dividends and the making of such loans and advances by our subsidiaries may be subject to legal or contractual restrictions, depend upon the earnings of those subsidiaries and working capital requirements, and be subject to various business considerations, including the ability of such subsidiaries to pay such dividends or make such loans and advances.
Our inability to secure guarantees or letters of credit on acceptable terms may substantially increase our cost of doing business in various countries.
In a number of countries and territories in which we conduct business we are obligated to provide guarantees or letters of credit to secure licenses, lease space or for insurance coverage. We typically receive these guarantees and letters of credit from a number of financial institutions around the world. In the event that we are unable to secure these arrangements from a bank, lender or other third party on acceptable terms, our liquidity may be materially adversely affected, there could be a disruption to our business or there could be a substantial increase in cost for our business.
We could be subject to changes in tax rates, adoption of new United States or international tax legislation or tax audits that could result in additional income tax liabilities.
We are subject to income and other taxes in the United States and international jurisdictions where we have operations. The tax bases and rates of these respective tax jurisdictions change from time to time due to economic and political conditions. Our effective income tax rate is affected by changes in earnings in countries with differing tax rates, changes in valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities or changes in the respective tax laws. Our other taxes are impacted by changes in local tax laws or changes in our business.
In addition, tax accounting involves complex matters and requires our judgment to determine our worldwide provision for income and other taxes and tax assets and liabilities. These complex matters include transfer pricing and reporting related to intercompany transactions. We are routinely subject to tax examinations by the United States Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. Tax authorities have disagreed, and may disagree in the future, with our judgments. Many taxing authorities are taking increasingly aggressive positions opposing the judgments we make, including with respect to our intercompany transactions. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of our audits and tax proceedings to determine the appropriateness of our tax liabilities. However, our judgments might not be sustained as a result of these audits and tax proceedings, and the amounts ultimately paid could be materially different from the amounts previously recorded.
In addition, changes in tax laws, treaties or regulations, or their interpretation or enforcement, have become more unpredictable and may become more stringent, which could materially adversely affect our tax position. A number of countries where we do business, including the United States and many countries in the European Union, have implemented, and are considering implementing, changes in relevant tax, accounting and other laws, regulations and interpretations. The overall tax environment has made it increasingly challenging for multinational corporations to operate with certainty about taxation in many jurisdictions. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), which represents a coalition of member countries, recently agreed to enact Pillar Two, which introduces a global minimum effective tax rate whereby certain multinational groups are subject to a 15% minimum tax on income derived in low-tax jurisdictions. These rules are to become effective beginning in 2024. In the United States, various proposals to raise corporate income taxes are periodically considered including the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, which introduced a 15% Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax beginning in 2023. These proposed and enacted changes in tax laws, treaties or regulations, or their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse impact on our current or future tax positions.
24
The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which may result in losses for investors.
The market price for our common stock may be subject to significant volatility. For example, during 2022, the price of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange ranged from a high of $115.54 to a low of $64.00. Our stock price can fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, including factors listed in these “Risk Factors” and others, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include:
Regulatory and Legal Risks
Our performance on contracts may be materially adversely affected if we or third parties fail to deliver on commitments.
Our contracts are increasingly complex and, in most instances, require that we partner with other parties or subcontractors to provide the workforce solutions required by our clients. Our clients have become more sophisticated in their contractual negotiation process and more detailed in defining their operational requirements, including requirements to use the client's form of agreement. Our ability to deliver these solutions and provide the services required by our clients is dependent on our and our partners’ ability to meet our clients’ delivery requirements and schedules. If we or our partners fail to deliver services on time and in accordance with contractual performance obligations, then our ability to successfully complete our contracts may be affected, which may have a material and adverse impact on our client relations, revenues and profitability. Additionally, we may incur liability for the actions or omissions of our partners, subcontractors or vendors and we may face challenges or be unable to enforce these obligations against those partners.
Government regulations may result in prohibition or restriction of certain types of employment services or the imposition of additional licensing or tax requirements that may reduce our future earnings.
In many jurisdictions in which we operate, such as France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Mexico, the employment services industry is heavily regulated and scrutinized. For example, in April 2021, new legislation was adopted in Mexico that affects many types of temporary placements under the country’s labor laws. The new law broadly prohibits the provision of our traditional temporary staffing services, only allowing outsourced worker assignments for special, deliverables-based projects outside of the client’s core business activity. This has had a material adverse impact on our business in Mexico. In Europe, governmental regulations in Germany restrict the length of contracts and the industries in which our associates may be used. In some countries, special taxes, fees or costs are imposed in connection with the use of our associates. Additionally, in some countries, trade unions have used the political process to target our industry in an effort to increase the regulatory burden and expense associated with offering or utilizing contingent workforce solutions. Moreover, many countries, including the Netherlands and Japan, have established regulations that require equal-pay for equal-work for temporary workers and fixed term employees. Furthermore, some countries are adopting more restrictive immigration regulations, which may lead to greater expense or inability to fulfill client demand, particularly in our cross-border talent solutions business. All of these continuously-evolving regulations could have a significant impact to our revenues, costs, and operating margins as we and customers adjust to these new regulations.
The countries and territories in which we operate may, among other things:
25
Other types of future regulation may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results by making it more difficult or expensive for us to continue to cost-effectively provide employment services, particularly if we cannot pass along increases in costs to our clients.
Failure to comply with antibribery and corruption laws could materially adversely affect our business.
We are additionally subject to numerous legal and regulatory requirements that prohibit bribery and corrupt acts. These include the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act 2010, as well as similar legislation in many of the countries and territories in which we operate. Our employees (but not our temporary associates) are required to participate in a global anticorruption compliance training program designed to ensure compliance with these laws and regulations. However, there are no assurances this program will be effective. In many countries where we operate, practices in the local business community may not conform to international business standards and could violate anticorruption law or regulations. Furthermore, we remain subject to the risk that one of our employees (or one of our associates on a temporary or contract-based assignment) could engage in business practices that are prohibited by our policies and these laws and regulations. Any such violations could materially adversely affect our business.
We may be exposed to legal claims, including employment-related claims that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to a wide variety of potential litigation and other legal claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. The results of litigation and other legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, and adverse judgments or settlements in some, or all of these legal disputes may result in materially adverse monetary damages, fines, penalties or injunctive relief against us.
For example, through our direct interaction with our clients’ businesses and facilities, including functions and systems that are sensitive or critical to their core businesses, we may be exposed to operational, regulatory, reputational and other risks specific to their business, including data security risks. These risks may be reduced through contractual provisions that limit damages or mitigate our responsibility for losses caused by our assigned workers; but these types of contractual protections are not always possible because we may perceive an important economic opportunity, because of the contracting practices of our industry competitors or because our personnel did not adequately follow our contracting guidelines. In addition, as we expand our services and solutions into new areas, we may be exposed to additional and evolving risks specific to these new areas.
We are in the business of employing people and placing them in the workplaces of other businesses. Risks relating to these activities could include possible claims of or relating to:
26
We may incur fines and other losses or negative publicity with respect to the above risks. In addition, some or all of these claims may give rise to litigation, which could be time-consuming to our management team and costly and could have a negative impact on our business regardless of the merits of the claim. For example, in the past, we have devoted considerable time and expense to resolve several California-based “wage and hour” claims that asserted deficiencies in our payroll practices, and we are often sued by plaintiffs in various other employment-related matters, including those seeking class action status in the US. It is likely we will continue to experience similar claims in the future, which may increase in number as a result of remote working assignments as well as increasing employment regulation at the state and local level.
We cannot be certain our insurance will be sufficient in amount or scope to cover all claims that may be asserted against us. Should the ultimate judgments or settlements exceed our insurance coverage, they could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. We cannot be certain we will be able to obtain appropriate types or levels of insurance in the future, that adequate replacement policies will be available on acceptable terms, if at all, or that the companies from which we have obtained insurance will be able to pay claims we make under such policies.
Our business exposes us to competition law risk.
We are subject to antitrust and competition law in the United States, the European Union, and many other regions in which we operate. Some of our business models may carry a heightened risk of regulatory inquiry under relevant competition laws. Although we have put in place safeguards designed to maintain compliance with applicable competition laws, there can be no assurance these protections will be adequate. Competition law authorities have investigated our business practices in the past in France and in other countries, and there continues to be a risk of such inquiries in the future. There is no assurance we would successfully defend against any such regulatory inquiries, and they could consume substantial amounts of our financial and managerial resources, remain outstanding for a significant duration, and result in adverse publicity, even if successfully resolved. An unfavorable outcome could result in liabilities that have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Wisconsin law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could make the takeover of our company more difficult.
Certain provisions of Wisconsin law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws could have the effect of delaying or preventing a third party from acquiring us, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our shareholders. These provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws currently include:
In addition, the Wisconsin control share acquisition statute and Wisconsin’s “fair price” and “business combination” provisions, in addition to other provisions of Wisconsin law, limit the ability of an acquiring person to engage in certain transactions or to exercise the full voting power of acquired shares under certain circumstances. As a result, offers to acquire us, which may represent a premium over the available market price of our common stock, may be withdrawn or otherwise fail to be realized. The provisions described above could cause our stock price to decline.
27
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
We own properties at various locations worldwide, none of which are material. Most of our operations are conducted from leased premises and we do not anticipate any difficulty in renewing these leases or in finding alternative sites in the ordinary course of business.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We are involved in litigation of a routine nature and various legal matters, which are being defended and handled in the ordinary course of business.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
28
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF MANPOWERGROUP
(as of February 17, 2023)
Name of Officer |
|
Office |
|
|
|
Jonas Prising Age 58 |
|
Chairman of ManpowerGroup since December 2015. Chief Executive Officer of ManpowerGroup since May 2014. ManpowerGroup President from November 2012 to May 2014. Executive Vice President, President of ManpowerGroup - the Americas from January 2009 to October 2012. Executive Vice President, President – United States and Canadian Operations from January 2006 to December 2008. A director of ManpowerGroup since May 2014. An employee of ManpowerGroup since May 1999. A director of Kohl's Corporation since August 2015. |
|
|
|
John T. McGinnis Age 56
|
|
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of ManpowerGroup since February 2016. Global Controller of Morgan Stanley from January 2014 to February 2016. Chief Financial Officer, HSBC North America from July 2012 to January 2014. Chief Financial Officer, HSBC Bank USA from July 2010 to January 2014. An employee of ManpowerGroup since February 2016. |
|
|
|
Michelle S. Nettles Age 51 |
|
Chief People and Culture Officer since July 2019. Chief People and Diversity Officer of Molson Coors Brewing Company from October 2016 to July 2019. Chief Human Resources Officer of MillerCoors from October 2014 to October 2016. Prior thereto, held other positions at MillerCoors since 2009. An employee of ManpowerGroup since July 2019. A director of RXO, Inc. since November 2022. |
|
|
|
Richard D. Buchband Age 59 |
|
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of ManpowerGroup since January 2013. Partner and Associate General Counsel for Accenture plc from 2006 to 2011. An employee of ManpowerGroup since January 2013. |
29
OTHER INFORMATION
Audit Committee Approval of Audit-Related and Non-Audit Services
The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has approved the following audit-related and non-audit services performed or to be performed for us by our independent registered public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP and Affiliates, in 2022:
30
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Common Stock Listing and Trading
The Company's common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MAN.
Shareholders of Record
As of February 15, 2023, the Company's common stock was held by approximately 2,600 record holders.
Dividend Policy
While we currently expect that future semi-annual dividends will continue to be paid, our dividend policy is subject to review and change at the discretion of our Board of Directors and may depend upon, among other factors, earnings, financial condition, and other requirements.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
In August 2021, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of 4.0 million shares of our common stock. We conduct share repurchases from time to time through a variety of methods, including open market purchases, block transactions, privately negotiated transactions or similar facilities. The following table shows the total number of shares repurchased during the fourth quarter of 2022. As of December 31, 2022, there were 2.0 million shares remaining authorized for repurchase under the 2021 authorization.
|
|
Total number of |
|
|
Average |
|
|
Total number of |
|
|
Maximum number |
|
||||
October 1 - 31, 2022 |
|
|
376,067 |
|
|
$ |
66.48 |
|
|
|
376,067 |
|
|
|
1,984,318 |
|
November 1 - 30, 2022 |
|
|
479 |
|
(1) |
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,984,318 |
|
December 1 - 31, 2022 |
|
|
875 |
|
(1) |
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,984,318 |
|
Total |
|
|
377,421 |
|
|
$ |
66.48 |
|
|
|
376,067 |
|
|
|
1,984,318 |
|
(1) Represents shares of common stock withheld by ManpowerGroup to satisfy tax withholding obligations on shares acquired by certain officers in settlement of restricted stock.
31
Performance Graph
Set forth below is a graph for the periods ending December 31, 2017-2022 comparing the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of companies in the Standard & Poor’s 400 Midcap Stock Index and the Standard & Poor’s 1500 Human Resources and Employment Services Sub-Industry Index. We are included in the Standard & Poor’s 1500 Human Resources and Employment Services Sub-Industry Index and we estimate that we constituted approximately 13% of the total market capitalization of the companies included in the index. The graph assumes a $100 investment on December 31, 2017 in our common stock, the Standard & Poor’s 400 Midcap Stock Index and the Standard & Poor’s 1500 Human Resources and Employment Services Sub-Industry Index and assumes the reinvestment of all dividends.
December 31 |
|
2017 |
|
|
2018 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||||||
ManpowerGroup |
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
51 |
|
|
$ |
77 |
|
|
$ |
72 |
|
|
$ |
77 |
|
|
$ |
66 |
|
S&P 400 Midcap Stock Index |
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
88 |
|
|
|
109 |
|
|
|
121 |
|
|
|
150 |
|
|
|
128 |
|
S&P 1500 Human Resources and Employment Services Sub-Industry Index |
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
83 |
|
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
99 |
|
|
|
148 |
|
|
|
109 |
|
Item 6. [Reserved]
32
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Financial Measures — Constant Currency And Organic Constant Currency
Changes in our financial results include the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, acquisitions and dispositions. We provide “constant currency” and “organic constant currency” calculations in this report to remove the impact of these items. We express year-over-year variances that are calculated in constant currency and organic constant currency as a percentage.
When we use the term “constant currency,” it means that we have translated financial data for a period into United States dollars using the same foreign currency exchange rates that we used to translate financial data for the previous period. We believe that this calculation is a useful measure, indicating the actual growth of our operations. We use constant currency results in our analysis of subsidiary or segment performance. We also use constant currency when analyzing our performance against that of our competitors. Substantially all of our subsidiaries derive revenues and incur expenses within a single country and, consequently, do not generally incur currency risks in connection with the conduct of their normal business operations. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates primarily impact reported earnings and not our actual cash flow unless earnings are repatriated.
When we use the term “organic constant currency,” it means that we have further removed the impact of acquisitions in the current period and dispositions from the prior period from our constant currency calculation. We believe that this calculation is useful because it allows us to show the actual growth of our ongoing business.
The constant currency and organic constant currency financial measures are used to supplement those measures that are in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). These Non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information that is directly comparable to that provided by other companies in our industry, as other companies may calculate such financial results differently. These Non-GAAP financial measures are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP, and should not be considered as alternatives to measures presented in accordance with GAAP.
Constant currency and organic constant currency percent variances, along with a reconciliation of these amounts to certain of our reported results, are included in the Financial Measures section found in Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Results of Operations - For Years of Operation Ending December 31, 2022 and 2021
The financial discussion that follows focuses on 2022 results compared to 2021. For a discussion of 2021 results compared to 2020, see the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
During 2022, revenues decreased -4.3% in 2022 compared to 2021. Our 2022 results reflected the negative impact of foreign currency translation, partially offset by increased demand for our services in most of our key markets. However, we also believe that downside risks to the global economic outlook have increased significantly in Europe and North America. This economic risk is particularly high in Europe, driven by elevated inflation, rising energy prices, the Russia-Ukraine war and higher interest rates. Within Europe, Germany's industrial economy is especially sensitive to increases in energy costs, which could impact other countries given the importance of the German economy. Our France operation has an outsized exposure to the Russia-Ukraine war due to the impact of supply chain constraints on demand for our services in certain sectors, primarily automotive and construction, and to a lesser degree, logistics. As Europe represents a significant portion of our operations, we continue to monitor economic conditions in our Southern Europe and Northern Europe regions.
During 2022, the United States dollar was stronger, on average, relative to the currencies in our European markets, which therefore had an unfavorable impact on our reported results. The changes in the foreign currency exchange rates had a -9.2% unfavorable impact on revenues from services and an approximately $0.88 per share unfavorable impact on net earnings per share – diluted in 2022. Substantially all of our subsidiaries derive revenues from services and incur expenses within the same local currency and generally do not have cross-currency transactions, and therefore, changes in foreign currency exchange rates primarily impact reported earnings and not our actual cash flow unless earnings are repatriated. To understand the performance of our underlying business, we utilize constant currency or organic constant currency variances for our consolidated and segment results.
33
During 2022, we experienced the following quarterly changes to our consolidated revenues compared to 2021: a 4.4% increase in revenue in the first quarter due to the impact of acquisitions and increased demand, partially offset by the unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates; a revenue decrease of -3.8% in the second quarter due to the significant strengthening of the dollar causing an unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates, partially offset by the impact of acquisitions and slightly more billing days; -6.6% decrease in revenues in the third quarter due to the continued unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates, partially offset by increased demand for our staffing/interim services in key markets and the impact of acquisitions; and ending the year with a -10.6% revenue decrease in the fourth quarter of 2022 reflecting a deteriorating economic environment during the quarter, particularly across Europe and North America, and the unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates.
During 2022 compared to 2021, most of our markets experienced revenue decreases due to the strengthening of the dollar, partially offset by strong labor markets and continued solid demand. We experienced a -8.7% revenue decrease in Southern Europe, mainly driven by the unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates, offset by increased demand in France and Italy. We experienced a -13.3% revenue decrease in Northern Europe primarily due to the unfavorable impact of currency exchange rates, partially offset by increased demand in our permanent recruitment business. Revenues increased 15.8% in the Americas primarily driven by our acquisition of the ettain group in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2021, which now operates as part of our Experis brand, increased demand for our staffing/interim services and increased demand for our permanent recruitment business. We refer to the ettain group acquisition as the "Experis acquisition". We experienced a -3.8% revenue decrease in APME primarily due to the unfavorable impact of changes in currency exchange rates.
From a brand perspective, we experienced a revenue decrease in Manpower, and revenue increases in Experis and Talent Solutions during 2022 compared to 2021. The revenue decrease in our Manpower brand was due to the unfavorable currency exchange rate impact, partially offset by increased demand for staffing services and solid demand in our permanent recruitment business. In our Experis brand, the revenue increase was primarily due to the Experis acquisition in the United States, improved demand for our interim services and increased demand in our permanent recruitment business, partially offset by unfavorable exchange rates. On an overall basis, the revenue increase in our Talent Solutions brand, which includes Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), TAPFIN - Managed Service Provider (MSP) and our Right Management offerings, was driven mostly by increased demand for our RPO services as the permanent recruitment environment was strong during the year.
Our gross profit margin improved in 2022 compared to 2021 primarily due to a favorable change in business mix as our higher-margin permanent recruitment business, which experienced a 22.5% increase (32.3% in constant currency and 31.0% in organic constant currency) during 2022 as a result of stronger hiring activity, represented a higher percentage of the revenue mix in our largest markets. The increase was also due to the improvement in our staffing/interim margin in all of our major markets, margin improvement in our Experis managed services business in Europe, and a higher percentage of revenue mix coming from our higher-margin consulting and MSP services. These increases were partially offset by a lower mix of revenues coming from our higher-margin Right Management career transition business.
We recorded a $50.0 million goodwill impairment charge related to our Netherlands reporting unit in the fourth quarter of 2022. We recorded restructuring costs of $3.6 million in 2022, compared to $15.2 million in 2021. We recorded integration costs of $14.7 million in 2022 relating to our Experis acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to Experis acquisition and integration costs of $18.8 million in 2021. We recorded a net loss on the sale of our Russia business of $8.0 million, which was comprised of a $9.7 million loss in selling and administrative expenses, offset by a $1.7 million gain in interest and other expenses representing a cumulative translation adjustment. We recorded a net loss on the sale of our Hungary business of $2.0 million, which was comprised of a $0.8 million loss in selling and administrative expenses and a $1.2 million loss in interest and other expenses representing cumulative translation adjustments. We also recognized a one-time gain of $10.0 million related to a long-term obligation in Northern Europe in 2021.
34
Our operating profit decreased -0.6% in 2022 while our operating profit margin increased 10 basis points compared to 2021. Excluding the effects of currency exchange rates, a goodwill impairment charge incurred in 2022 related to our Netherlands reporting unit, a loss from the disposition of subsidiaries incurred in 2022, the one-time gain related to a Northern Europe long-term obligation in 2021, restructuring costs incurred in 2022 and 2021, and acquisition integration costs incurred in 2022 and 2021, our operating profit was up 20.8%. Excluding the impact of the items previously listed, our operating profit margin increased 50 basis points compared to 2021. The operating profit margin increased mostly due to the improvement in our gross profit margin and our ability to support an increase in revenues without a similar increase in selling and administrative expenses.
We continue to monitor expenses closely to ensure we maintain the benefit of our efforts to optimize our organizational and cost structures, while investing appropriately to support the ability of the business to grow in the future and enhance our productivity, technology and digital capabilities. We are focused on managing costs as efficiently as possible in the short-term while continuing to progress transformational actions aligned with our strategic priorities.
Consolidated Results - 2022 compared to 2021
The following table presents selected consolidated financial data for 2022 as compared to 2021.
(in millions, except per share data) |
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
Reported |
|
|
Variance in |
|
|
Variance in |
|
|||||
Revenues from services |
|
$ |
19,827.5 |
|
|
$ |
20,724.4 |
|
|
|
(4.3 |
)% |
|
|
4.9 |
% |
|
|
2.6 |
% |
Cost of services |
|
|
16,255.1 |
|
|
|
17,316.9 |
|
|
|
(6.1 |
) |
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit |
|
|
3,572.4 |
|
|
|
3,407.5 |
|
|
|
4.8 |
|
|
|
13.8 |
|
|
|
9.8 |
|
Gross profit margin |
|
|
18.0 |
% |
|
|
16.4 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Selling and administrative expenses, excluding goodwill impairment charges |
|
|
2,940.7 |
|
|
|
2,822.1 |
|
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
12.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
Goodwill impairment charges |
|
|
50.0 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Selling and administrative expenses |
|
|
2,990.7 |
|
|
|
2,822.1 |
|
|
|
6.0 |
|
|
|
14.3 |
|
|
|
10.9 |
|
Selling and administrative expenses as a % of revenues |
|
|
15.1 |
% |
|
|
13.6 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Operating profit |
|
|
581.7 |
|
|
|
585.4 |
|
|
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
|
11.7 |
|
|
|
4.6 |
|
Operating profit margin |
|
|
2.9 |
% |
|
|
2.8 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Net interest expense |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||