Employers hiring on full-time basis as confidence grows

Publish Date: Thursday December 2, 2009

The majority of companies that are increasing staff numbers in the lead up to Christmas are hiring on a full-time basis, according to the Michael Page Employment Index for December. In a sign of growing business confidence leading into the new year, 79% of employers currently hiring are doing so on a full-time basis, 17% are focusing on contract roles and 4% on part-time positions. This is an encouraging trend as private sector investment in full-time jobs suggests there is increasing confidence in a sustained upturn of business activity.

The research also reveals a strong hiring preference for experienced workers, with 52% of companies targeting mid-level candidates and 18% looking for executive staff. Most recruitment activity is for operational roles in business functions such as purchasing and supply chain.

Of those companies that are not currently hiring new staff, 25% anticipate they will be in the next 3-6 months and 37% say it is likely within a 6-12 month timeframe. Despite this encouraging trend, some caution remains as 19% of employers surveyed think it will be 18 months before their staff numbers are increased again.

When asked which factor would have the biggest impact on business operations in the first quarter of 2010, 46% of respondents cited wages growth followed by 24% that identified access to funding and 15% that nominated the exchange rate.

Attachments

Download the Michael Page Employment Index for December 2009

Notes to Editor

The Michael Page Employment Index provides a snapshot of hiring and business confidence trends for the white-collar employment market in Australia. The report is predictive and focuses on anticipated trends for the month ahead, rather than an analysis of historical employment data such as job advertisement numbers. The online survey is distributed monthly to a group of more than 100 executive level human resources professionals who have agreed to participate in the research.