Express Hiring Trends Survey Sees Employer Confidence Increasing

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Jul 01, 2011, 10:00 ET

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half (42%) of company leaders have either recently implemented or plan to implement bringing in new staff (temporary or full-time) in the third quarter, according to a national hiring trends survey conducted by Express Employment Professionals, one of the nation's largest privately-held staffing companies.

"We're seeing employers' confidence levels increase slightly," said Robert A. Funk, CEO of Express. "Not only do they plan to hire new employees, but some are also considering reinstating previous pay and/or raises and lifting hiring freezes."

Express surveyed more than 17,000 current and former clients across the U.S. and Canada. Survey results of those who responded indicate that 67 percent of companies plan to hire one to three people across all business sectors during the third quarter. Hiring trends in all regions continue to be greatest in administrative and office clerical, with 30 percent of respondents planning new hires, while 26 percent of commercial/light industrial businesses anticipate adding new staff. Additionally, 22 percent of respondents plan to fill positions in "other" sectors which include healthcare, customer service, food service, general labor, maintenance, sales and more.

While companies are planning new hires, the current ease of recruiting and filling positions is down, according to the survey. In fact, half of the respondents believe it is "somewhat difficult" to "very difficult" to recruit and fill positions, an increase of six percent compared to the previous quarter. Staffing firms, employee referrals and online job boards remain the top three recruiting resources for companies. When considering new hires, employers are looking closely at credible work history, job experience and specific skills.

"Recruiting is clearly becoming more difficult for company leaders," said Funk. "There is a huge volume of talented candidates on the market and it's a real challenge to find not only the most experienced person, but the best overall fit for the position and the company."

Worldwide, Express Employment Professionals puts nearly 300,000 people to work each year and has more than 550 offices in four countries. Express provides expertise in evaluation hire, temporary staffing, professional search and human resources and works across a wide variety of industries. For more information, visit www.expresspros.com.

SOURCE Express Employment Professionals