As more than two-thirds of employers from Brazil and India plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, job confidence is highest among those two countries in comparison to the rest of the world, according to a study by CareerBuilder.
Meanwhile, Italy is the least optimistic with more respondents planning to cut employees as opposed to those that plan to hire.
"The job outlook presents varying degrees of growth and deceleration as governments and businesses strive to rebuild and expand and deal with large deficits," says Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. "Hiring activity in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) is projected to be significantly higher than other markets while recruitment in Europe remains sluggish as leaders struggle to resolve a debt crisis that has global implications. The overall hiring picture is improving, but companies will remain watchful as they navigate headwinds and maneuver through somewhat precarious economic terrain."
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The study also finds that more than 60 percent of respondents in the United States as well as BRIC countries say they are better positioned financially when compared to this time last year. However, respondents in Italy and Japan say their financial positions have either remained the same or worsened.
Seventy-one percent of respondents from Brazil are bringing in more employees, which is partly because of plans to host the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics as well as an improved manufacturing sector. China and India's gross domestic products have grown faster than rest of the world's major economies. In fact, more than half of respondents in China and two-thirds of respondents in India plan to hire in 2013.
While approximately half of respondents in Russia intend to increase employment, the country is still suffering from record-low unemployment, but Russia does benefit from metals and energy exports regardless of the drop of demand in China and Europe.
In France, hiring is projected to remain flat as about one in four respondents plan to add or decrease staff. Thirty percent of U.K. respondents expect to hire while 21 percent believe they will cut jobs, making for a net increase of 9 percent adding jobs. Respondents in Germany are more optimistic as almost three in 10 respondents plan on hiring, and 15 percent of respondents anticipate layoffs.
Considering worries regarding the fiscal cliff, predictions may be more conservative in the United States, though hiring activity shows gradual upward movement as 26 percent of U.S. respondents say they are bringing in new positions this year.
Among the major markets, respondents say they are most likely to hire for positions related to revenue and innovation, such as sales, customer service, information technology and production. China is the sole market to name research and development in its top three areas for recruitment.
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