Eighty percent of major employers report they expect to meet or pass their hiring numbers this year from over 2012, according to a study by Yoh.
Among the respondents that plan to increase hiring, 83 percent say they expect to hire more by 3 percent. The primary areas for hiring are information technology, sales, and operations and production.
Still, 44 percent of respondents say they do not anticipate increasing hiring this year because of the uncertain economy, and 40 percent of respondents say their current staffing levels already meet or exceed their needs.
Recommended For You
"The optimism evident in our 2013 Workforce Trends Study is tempered by persistent economic uncertainty and operational efficiency that has reduced demand for workers," says Lori Schultz, president of Yoh. "In addition, as the work force grows more complex through, for example, the use of contract labor, a majority of organizations will be left flat footed since they haven't adjusted their work force-planning habits to account for this complexity.
"Organizations must scrutinize their work force plans and design them to address the lingering economic uncertainty and increased complexity of the work force. Now more than ever, systematic work force planning will be crucial to quickly sourcing, recruiting and hiring top performers."
Another 45 percent of respondents say political issues, such as the ongoing fiscal policy negotiations, have slowed or stopped hiring plans this year, and 27 percent of respondents say health care reform could halt hiring while 16 percent of respondents are uncertain how health care reform will impact hiring.
The survey also finds that 81 percent of respondents say finding the best talent is the most important hiring consideration; however, 91 percent of respondents say they have had problems finding qualified job candidates. An additional 25 percent of respondents say they have trouble recruiting qualified job candidates once they're identified.
As two-thirds of the respondents say they plan to hire temporary employees or contract workers this year, 75 percent of respondents say they plan to maintain or use more contract labor. Work force planning is also an issue as only 13 percent of respondents use work force plans with defined contingencies, and 67 percent of respondents report putting off work force plan reconciliation for at least a quarter.
According to half of respondents, social media is used to advertise open positions, and 42 percent of respondents rely on social media to search for job candidates. Thirty-one percent of respondents use social media as an important role of their employment brands and recruitment strategies. Roughly 25 percent of respondents say social media is not part of their recruiting efforts.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
