Employers optimistic about hiring

Employers' short and medium outlook for growth in permanent recruitment continues to show some improvement, according to a report by REC. 

According to REC Director of Research Roger Tweedy, "It is encouraging that employer confidence is slowly but surely starting to manifest itself in terms of hiring intentions. He also mentioned that it is very early days and a number of employers are still making redundancies or cutting working hours. Regular data on how employers are reacting to subtle changes in the jobs market is essential and will help recruiters to plan ahead over the coming months." 

Some findings of the report, which is based on a monthly sample survey of 600 employers, are as follows:

• One in ten employers anticipate an increase in their permanent staff levels over the next three months, an uplift of five per cent on the previous month;
• Another 16 per cent expect their permanent staff to rise in the next 12 months compared to 13 per last month;
• Five per cent of employers expect to increase their temporary workforce in the next three months, 72 per cent  expect to maintain the same level of agency staff over the next 12 months;
• Four in ten employers said there had been no impact on their workforce as a result of economic changes;
• A total of 22 per cent of employers are making staff redundant- two per cent down on last month;
• Slightly more employers (three per cent) are now reducing hours or cutting pay in response to the continuation of the recession. 

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