The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Hiring activity is expected to increase in the majority of the world's labor markets compared to last year at this time, according to the results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released yesterday. Employers in five countries - Belgium, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Singapore and Spain - reported their most optimistic hiring intentions since Manpower began surveying them a year ago. "The third-quarter survey data shows the strongest employment expectations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. "Employers in many countries are echoing their intentions to hire just as optimistically as they did in our second-quarter survey. This is a good sign. Compared to a year ago, hiring intentions have improved in 16 of 19 countries." The survey, based on interviews with over 35,000 employers across 19 countries and territories, revealed that the U.S. jobs outlook continues to be much improved over the same quarter in 2003, with employer optimism holding steady from second quarter into the third quarter. "In last quarter's survey, we saw a significant improvement in employers' intentions to add staff. The survey data for the third quarter reveals good news for job seekers, as employers are telling us that they intend to continue hiring from now through September," said Joerres. "We are seeing continued strength in expected hiring activity for the Durable and Non-Durable Manufacturing and Construction sectors. Employer optimism in the Wholesale & Retail Trade sector has improved significantly and steadily since the beginning of the year." The U.S. employment outlook for third quarter remains the strongest since the first quarter of 2001. A stable employment picture prevails elsewhere in the Americas, with Canadian employers reporting slightly improved job prospects quarter-over-quarter, and Mexico reporting a positive, but unchanged employment outlook. See 'Growth' P.# Con't from P.# Of the regions in the survey, Asia Pacific reported the strongest year-over-year improvements in employer optimism, with Hong Kong and Singapore showing a steady growth trend over the last four quarters. "Last year, the SARS crisis gripped the region, severely restricting travel and trade, which had an adverse affect on their labor markets. Employers are decidedly more optimistic this year. What a difference a year makes," said Joerres. In Japan, the outlook has improved substantially compared to last year at this time, although hiring is expected to wane slightly in the third quarter, following the peak hiring activity that traditionally occurs in Japan in the second quarter of each year. Hong Kong and Singapore have substantially improved since the second quarter survey, largely fueled by robust hiring activity in the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate sector. Across Europe, third-quarter hiring expectations vary little from the previous quarter. The strongest hiring outlooks are reported in Ireland, Sweden, Spain and the UK. German employers expect no change in hiring levels from the second quarter and a downturn in hiring is expected in the Austrian labor market. "The high number of layoffs seen in Germany last year seem to have stabilized and companies appear to be more optimistic than they were a year ago," said Joerres. "The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey shows 84 percent of German employers intend to hold on to current staff in the third quarter, which is a good sign for workers."
