Recruitment 'to hit 15-year low'
9 Dec 08
Recruitment levels over the next few months are expected to fall to their lowest for 15 years, a survey of employers has suggested. Employment agency Manpower said its poll of 2,100 UK firms revealed bosses planned to cut the number of staff they took on compared with last year
It said managers would assess company performance in the first quarter of 2009, before changing staffing levels.
Employment prospects were "weak" in many major sectors, it concluded.
These included manufacturing, retail, construction and finance.
However, public sector and utilities employers were among those planning to recruit new staff.
Manpower managing director Mark Cahill said eight out of 10 employers were taking a "wait and see approach" to recruitment.
"The figures confirm the depressed employer confidence we're experiencing as a business across the UK," he said.
Employers in the north east of England were the most optimistic, while firms in the south east, west midlands, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were the least.
London employers reported moderately weaker employment prospects compared with a year ago.