Key Findings:
- In the next 12 months, more than half of employers polled plan to hire full-time employees, four in 10 will hire contract, temporary or project workers, and four in 10 will hire part-time employees.
- Technology, customer service and sales are the top three areas in which employers expect to add jobs first once the economy rebounds.
- The average time to fill open positions, depending on the job level, is 4.5 to 14.4 weeks, the same time range as last year.
- Despite an abundant labor pool, six in 10 employers are willing to negotiate with qualified candidates for higher compensation.
- Four in 10 employers expect the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to create jobs in their organizations over the next two years.
- More than half of employees polled plan to make a career change or go back to school when the economy recovers.
- Forty percent of hiring managers said that when the economy improves, giving pay raises will be their primary method for retaining top performers.
MENLO PARK, Calif., and CHICAGO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The economy has posed many challenges for businesses - including the need to make sure they are prepared for the upturn. According to a new survey, managers are planning to hire a combination of workers to support both long- and short-term initiatives. Fifty-three percent of employers expect to hire full-time employees over the next 12 months while 40 percent will hire contract, temporary or project professionals and 39 percent will add part-time employees.
Now in its fifth year, the Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report provides an overview of the current employment situation, as well as a glimpse of the future hiring landscape. The report offers information on what types of professionals employers will be looking for when economic conditions improve and the strategies businesses plan to implement to recruit and retain talent. The EDGE Report is based on an annual survey by Robert Half International, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, and CareerBuilder, the global leader in human capital solutions. More than 500 hiring managers and 500 workers participated in the study, which was conducted by International Communications Research from April 30 to May 31, 2009.
"Companies already are identifying the key skill sets they will need in new hires to take advantage of the opportunities presented by improving economic conditions," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "Firms that cut staffing levels too deeply may need to do significant rebuilding once the recovery takes hold."
Where Jobs Will Be Added First
Customer-facing roles are indispensable in good times and bad. In the current economy, hiring managers consider customer service the function most critical to their organization's success, followed by sales, marketing/creative and technology. Public relations/communications, business development and accounting/finance round out the list.
Looking ahead, respondents cited technology, customer service and sales as the departments that will add positions first.
