The pace of hiring looks poised to pick up
The latest U.S. employment data shows a mixed bag of results. While June's jobless figures reached a seven-year low, those monthly numbers were expected to be stronger. So, some analysts say the economy is still sluggish and not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession.
However, a new survey suggests that U.S. employers and potential employees are more confident about the nation's job market than they were just a year ago.
According to a poll conducted for CareerBuilder of more than 2,300 hiring and human resources managers as well as over 3,300 full-time workers across a variety of industries, nearly half of employers say they plan to hire full-time, permanent employees during the second half of this year.
Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said they plan to hire part-time workers between now and the end of the year, while 34 percent expect to bring on temporary or contract workers during that period. Both those figures are slightly higher than expectations during the same time in 2014.
"There's a favorable dynamic happening in the labor market today," Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder said in a press statement.
"Companies are feeling more financially secure and increasing their headcount," he added. "This is creating a more competitive hiring environment, which is having a positive impact on wages and the labor force participation rate. We expect to see continued strength in these trends with nearly half of employers looking to add staff and raise starting salaries in the months ahead."
Speaking of salaries, 47 percent of employers said they expect to start increasing salaries on job offers they make during the next 12 months. About one in six say they'll raise starting salaries by 5 percent or more.
This momentum toward new hiring appears to be stronger among small U.S. business (50 or fewer employees). According to the survey, 27 percent of those companies say they're hiring full-time, permanent employees, compared to 24 percent last year.
Large companies (more than 500 employees) are also hiring. Just over 60 percent of hiring managers at these companies say they're bringing on more full-time, permanent workers -- although that figure remains virtually unchanged from 2014.
The survey found these to be some of the positions where employers plan to add jobs during the second half:
- Customer service -- 31 percent of hiring managers
- Sales -- 23 percent
- Information technology -- 22 percent
- Production -- 18 percent
- Accounting/finance -- 12 percent
- Marketing -- 11 percent
- Human Resources -- 9 percent