U.S. employers were less optimistic about future hiring plans than a year ago but more optimistic than their overseas counterparts, according to a recent survey.
Two-thirds of U.S. employers planned no changes in hiring in the first three months of 2009, according to a survey of from Manpower Inc., a staffing company, up from 60 percent at the same time last year and 59 percent in the previous quarter.
Manpower polled about 71,000 private and public employers in 32 countries and Hong Kong in October and compared outlooks for the next three months with those in the previous three-month period and a year ago, with 31,800 U.S. employers participating.
The net employment outlook for the U.S. — the proportion of employers who see an uptick in hiring minus those who plan to decrease staffing — was 10 percent for the first quarter of next year, adjusted for seasonal variations, down from 17 percent at the same time last year and up slightly from 9 percent in the previous three-month period.
“The global employment picture for the first quarter of the New Year is noticeably weaker, and the vast majority of employers are telling us that they will take a ‘wait and see’ approach before hiring or further reducing staff,” said Jeffrey Joerres, chief executive of Manpower “Interestingly, the number of U.S. companies planning no change in their hiring intentions is considerably higher than during the 2001 recession. This may suggest a much needed pause in downsizing in the first quarter.”
Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said U.S. employers have cut 1.1 million jobs this year, with November’s layoffs the biggest monthly amount since January 2002.
The U.S. Labor Department said unemployment rose to a 15-year high of 6.7 percent in November. Connecticut’s November jobless rate will be released in coming days, but was 6.5 percent as of October. (AP)
