As the economy continues to see moderate growth, employers say they expect hiring to remain stable in the second quarter, according to a new job forecast out by CareerBuilder.
Of the employers surveyed, 26 percent plan to increase full-time employee numbers in the next three months, which is similar to the last two quarters, but down from 30 percent last year.
Given that employers tend to be more conservative in estimates than in hiring, CareerBuilder said the percentage of employers who actually hire during the quarter may end up higher than projected.
In a November 2012 survey regarding the first quarter of 2013, 26 percent of employers planned to hire full-time employees, while 28 percent actually did hire. That was down from 33 percent last year which CareerBuilder said was due to slower-than-expected economic growth at the end of 2012.
“The U.S. job market is in a better place today, but concerns over spending cuts, wavering global economies and other factors are weighing on employers’ minds,” said CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson. “We expect continued stability and improvement as the year goes on. When we look at listings on CareerBuilder.com, job growth isn’t confined to technology and health care and other areas that have fared well post-recession. The rebound in the housing sector is having a positive influence on job creation for related industries that have been struggling.”
Large companies with more than 500 employees were most optimistic about hiring in the second quarter, with 33 percent saying they plan to add full-time staff. That was down from 38 percent last year. Meanwhile, roughly 21 percent of companies with more than 50 employees but fewer than 500 plan to hire during the period and 17 percent of small businesses with fewer than 50 employees said the same.
Despite many employers expecting to hire, 9 percent of those surveyed expect to downsize staff, up from 6 percent last year, while 5 percent are undecided.
Compensation is also expected to see little change from last year, with 33 percent of employers anticipating no change in salary levels for the second quarter compared with last year. Forty-one percent said there will be an increase of 3 percent or less, while 16 percent said they expect average changes to be between 4 and 10 percent.
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