Despite a general pull-back in the near-term business outlook, corporate hiring intentions for the second quarter of 2015 remain resilient.
According to Dun & Bradstreet’s Business Expectations Survey, the latest lift in hiring intentions comes during a period when fewer businesses are anticipating increased sales or profits, with below-trend growth continuing to subdue the economy.
Survey responses have seen the Employment Expectations Index rise for a seventh consecutive quarter, with 27 per cent of businesses indicating they will hire during the second quarter of the year, up from 24 per cent in the previous quarter and 22 per cent last year, while 10 per cent plan to reduce staff. This has seen the index move from a level of -3.3 points in Q3 2013 to 16.8 points in Q2 2015.
Reported employment activity also increased, with Dun & Bradstreet’s Actual Employment Index moving to 12.8 points for Q4 2014, compared to just 3.5 points a year earlier. According to the survey, 25 per cent of businesses increased staff during the last three months of 2014 while 13 per cent reduced their numbers.
To read the full story click on this link: 2015-04-06 DB Business Expectations Survey – Q2 2015 – final indices
