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Permanent and Temporary Hiring to Increase in the Back Half of 2014, According to CareerBuilder’s Midyear Job Forecast

CHICAGO – July 10, 2014 – CareerBuilder’s Midyear Job Forecast points to sustained job growth in the second half of 2014. Nearly half of U.S. employers plan to add full-time, permanent headcount over the next six months, and one-third plan to hire temporary or contract workers – both improvements over the same period in 2013.

See full report here: http://careerbuildercommunications.com/pdf/cb-midyear-forecast.pdf​

“The results of this year’s survey are indicative of a more assured employer population compared to 2013 when companies were, to some extent, irresolute when it came to adding permanent staff,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of The Talent Equation. “Back then, employers anticipated a spike in temporary employment in the second half of the year while permanent employment was to remain flat. The 2014 midyear forecast shows employers are expecting forward movement in all categories of hiring. Jobs will also be added in a variety of areas, heavily favoring job seekers with expertise in technology, financial operations, communications and other specialized fields.”

  • 47 percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 44 percent last year
  • 27 percent plan to hire part-time employees, up from 25 percent last year
  • 33 percent plan to hire temporary or contract workers, up from 31 percent last year

The national survey, which was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from May 13 to June 6, included a representative sample of 2,188 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Hiring By Industry

The following industries are expected to outperform the national average for permanent hiring in the months ahead with Information Technology, Financial Services and Hospitality poised to experience the highest year-over-year gains:

  • Information Technology – 59 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 51 percent last year
  • Financial Services – 57 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 52 percent last year
  • Hospitality – 55 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 46 percent last year
  • Health Care – 54 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 51 percent last year
  • Manufacturing – 54 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 52 percent last year

Hot Areas for Hiring

When asked to identify the types of roles they will be creating within their organizations over the next six months, employers were most likely to report:

  • Jobs tied to social media – 11 percent
  • Jobs tied to mobile technology – 11 percent
  • Jobs tied to cloud technology – 10 percent
  • Jobs tied to wellness – 10 percent
  • Jobs tied to content strategy for the Web – 9 percent
  • Jobs tied to managing and interpreting big data – 9 percent
  • Jobs tied to cyber security – 8 percent
  • Jobs tied to financial regulation – 8 percent
  • Jobs tied to search technology – 8 percent
  • Jobs tied to health informatics – 8 percent

Small Business Hiring

While recruitment activity is notably stronger and increasing in enterprise organizations, small business hiring is holding steady and showing moderate improvement compared to last year.

  • 50 or fewer employees – 24 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, the same as last year
  • 250 or fewer employees – 35 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, up slightly from 34 percent in 2013
  • 500 or fewer employees – 39 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, up from 37 percent in 2013

Among companies with more than 500 employees, three in five hiring managers (61 percent) plan to add full-time, permanent employees, up from 56 percent in 2013.

Hiring By Region

Comparing regions, the Northeast and South reported the biggest increases in the percentage of employers planning to add full-time, permanent headcount in the second half of the year. Hiring in the West and Midwest is expected to remain relatively unchanged, but still in line with the other regions.

  • Northeast – 48 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, up from 43 percent last year
  • South – 48 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, up from 42 percent last year
  • West – 47 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, down slightly from 48 percent last year
  • Midwest – 46 percent hiring full-time, permanent employees, on par with last year

Hiring in Q2 2014

Thirty-six percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount in the second quarter, up from 34 percent last year. Ten percent decreased headcount, while 53 percent made no change to staff levels and 1 percent were unsure.

Hiring in Q3 2014

Looking ahead, 31 percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter, up slightly from 30 percent last year. Nine percent expect to downsize staffs, while 56 percent anticipate no changes to headcount and 5 percent are undecided.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,188 hiring managers and human resource professionals ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between May 13 and June 6, 2014 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,188, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.10 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Grasz

773-527-1164

jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com

http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR


CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com