Employers across the globe plan to increase hiring over the next three months overall, though at a slightly slower pace than in recent quarters, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
Globally, 40 of the 43 countries and territories surveyed expect a positive net employment outlook in the third quarter of 2016, according to the Manpower report. This figure is derived by taking the percentage of employers expecting an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers that expect to see a decrease in employment in the next quarter. Employer hiring confidence is strongest in the following countries, in order: India, Japan, Taiwan, Guatemala, Romania and the United States. The weakest forecasts are reported in the following order: Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and France.
"Stronger employer hiring intentions in most regions is certainly cause for optimism, though global growth is still below prerecession levels," said Jonas Prising, chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup. "The political uncertainty in Europe and the United States means employers are hesitant to significantly add to their workforce, but they do continue to hire at modest levels, and many are still experiencing difficulty finding in-demand skills."
ManpowerGroup's survey found 23 percent of U.S. employers plan to increase staff in the third quarter, up 1 percent from the prior quarter's forecast. Five percent plan to decrease staff, 71 percent expect no change in staff, and 1 percent are undecided about their hiring intentions, resulting in a net employment outlook of 18 percent. The survey includes responses from more than 59,000 organizations worldwide, of which 11,000 are U.S. employers.
"Although employers have been increasingly cautious for the last three quarters, the U.S. hiring outlook is among the strongest globally, and we expect to see modest improvements in the labor market throughout most of the country," said Kip Wright, senior vice president of Manpower in North America.
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