Businesses are hiring

Employment prospects for 2008 are expected to remain active for the next quarter, found a Manpower employment outlook survey.

“Australia’s net employment outlook is very encouraging,” says Scott McLachlan, Manpower Australia and New Zealand managing director. “The decrease in hiring intentions compared to the previous quarter appears to show that hiring managers are cautiously confident about taking on new staff over the next quarter.”

McLachlan adds companies should create strategies to gain and maintain the right staff. “This moderate decrease in employer confidence must be balanced against the tight labour market that exists across Australia as the skills shortage continues to create structural changes in the workforce.”

“Seasonally adjusted data reveals there is a general decrease in hiring confidence with employers in two of the seven regions surveyed expecting to take on more staff over the next three months with─employers in Queensland and Tasmania indicating conservative growth. However, in comparison to this time last year, Queensland, Western Australian and NSW employers all expect to slow the pace of hiring.”