Stronger Employment Trends Expected for the New Year

Published: Jan 24, 2019

If finding a new job is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, your prospects are likely to improve to some degree, according to CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast. More employers plan to add full-time, permanent headcount in 2011 compared to 2010 with a continued emphasis on hiring in technology and revenue-producing fields. The survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive© from November 15 to December 2, 2010, included more than 2,400 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

“More than half of employers reported they are in a better financial position today than they were one year ago,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “2011 will usher in a healthier employment picture as business leaders grow more confident in the economy. Our survey indicates more jobs will be added in 2011 than 2010, but job creation will remain gradual. The year will be characterized by steady, measured gains across various industries.”

Full-time Hiring
Twenty-four percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2011, up from 20% in 2010 and 14% in 2009. Seven percent plan to decrease headcount, an improvement from 9% in 2010 and 16% in 2009. Fifty-eight percent anticipate no change in their staff levels while 11% are unsure.

Part-time Hiring
Thirteen percent of employers expect to hire part-time employees in the next 12 months, up from 11% in 2010 and 9% in 2009. Five percent plan to decrease part-time help, an improvement from 8% in 2010 and 14% in 2009. Seventy-one percent anticipate no change in their staff levels while 12% are unsure.

Contract/Temporary Hiring
Businesses will be relying on interim solutions to help shoulder growing workloads. One-third of hiring managers (34%) reported they will hire contract or temporary workers to supplement leaner staffs in 2011, up from 30% last year and 28% in 2009. Of those hiring, nearly one-in-four (24%) expect to add more than last year. Thirty-nine percent of employers plan to transition some contract or temporary staff into full-time, permanent employees.

Top Functional Areas for Hiring
Among employers who plan to increase their full-time, permanent headcount in 2011, Sales is the most popular functional area they will be hiring for as they focus on expanding their customer base and market penetration. The top ten functional areas for recruitment include:

1. Sales—27%
2. Information Technology—26%
3. Customer Service—25%
4. Engineering—21%
5. Technology—19%
6. Administrative—17%
7. Business Development—17%
8. Marketing—17%
9. Research/Development—15%
10. Accounting/Finance—14%

Plans to downsize staffs are trending below the last two years. Eight percent of employers in the South expect to decrease headcount followed by 7% in the Northeast, Midwest and West.

Hiring By Company Size
While small businesses have been slower to recover, hiring is gradually improving among companies of all sizes. Thirty percent of employers with more than 250 employees plan to increase full-time, permanent headcount in 2011, followed by 27% of employers with 51 to 250 employees, and 14% of employers with 50 or less employees.

Five percent of employers with 1 to 50 employees plan to reduce their workforce compared to 6% of businesses with 51 to 250 employees and 9% with more than 250 employees.

Survey Methodology: This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,482 U.S. hiring managers (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18 and over between November 15 and December 2, 2010 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,482 one could say with a 95% probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.97 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.