Employers Keen To Hire!

Employers Keen To Hire!

Not only do indicators show that the economy is thriving, employment optimism is also on the rise.

The latest TMP Job Index Survey results released today (27 November) show that levels of employment optimism have risen significantly over the past six months – up 5.1 percentage points from the last survey (July – Dec 02) and an impressive 12.0 percentage points compared to the equivalent survey period last year.

This is a record high since the Job Index was first conducted on a six-monthly basis in January 1999.

Of the 1000 employers surveyed, 42.2% have indicated that they are expecting to increase current staffing levels over the next six months, compared to only 7.2% who are anticipate a reduction in current staffing levels.

TMP Worldwide, New Zealand and Australia’s largest Human Resources company conducts the Job Index Survey on a six monthly basis. The survey combines the expectations of key employment decision-makers, from all major industries, across the spectrum of different organisation sizes. Since its inception in 1997, this Index has proved to be an accurate and extremely well recognised employment indicator, and tracks a number of other key economic indices.

TMP Worldwide, General Manager – New Zealand, Mr Denis Horner, said employers from the South Island have recorded the most optimistic outlook for the coming six months.

“Of the South Island employers surveyed, 52.4% have indicated that they are anticipating an increase in staff numbers over the next six months and 10.3% said they are expecting to decrease.”

Employers surveyed from the Lower North Island have recorded the second most optimistic outlook with 41.6% expecting to increase current staffing levels and only 7.3% expecting decreases.

“Upper North Island employers have also recorded an increase in optimism from the previous survey,” said Mr Horner. “Of the employers surveyed from this region, some 39.9% reported that they are anticipating an increase in current staffing levels compared to only 6.1% expecting staff reductions.”

All industries surveyed have recorded optimistic outlooks for the coming six months, with the “hot” industries being Information Technology, Professional Services and Legal.

“In particular this is a marked change for the Legal industry, as it recorded the most dramatic downturn in optimism (down 23.6%) in the previous survey as opposed to up 20.7% in this survey period,” Mr Horner said.

Least optimistic outlooks for the Jan – June 03 survey were recorded by the Media and Financial Services/Insurance industries.

Employment optimism has risen across New Zealand small, medium sized and large business employers from the last survey period. Small business employers surveyed were the most optimistic, whereas in the last survey, medium sized businesses recorded the most optimistic outlook.

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