Media Release
Manpower, Level 22, Darling Park 2, 201 Sussex Street Sydney. NSW Australia 2000
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Under embargo until 0:01, 10th June 2008 Local Time
Lowest levels of hiring confidence since late 2006
strike the Mining & Construction sector.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today, indicates prospects for
job seekers in the Mining & Construction sector may well be softer than they have
been for the past two years as hiring managers place their decision to hire new staff
on hold.
The survey, which was part of a broader survey of 2,658 employers across Australia,
revealed that the majority of employers in this sector are intending to hold the line on
their staff levels for the next quarter. The levels of demand are considerably lower
than the past 24 months, and in fact have dropped back to the same lower levels
reported at the end of 2006.
The Mining & Construction sector’s employment market shows a noticeable softening
in hiring intentions in the July – September quarter of 2008, with a Net Employment
Outlook of +29%, a considerable decrease of fifteen percentage points from the
previous quarter (+44%).
According to Stephen Hinch, General Manager Marketing & Communications,
Manpower, Australia and New Zealand, “This considerable softening in intention to
hire new staff may not be a signal for a slowdown in net growth. The softening in
hiring intentions may well be indicating a decline in pent up demand that was created
by internal mobility together with supply shortages.
“This softer demand may also be an early indicator of the disaggregation of the
labour markets as some industries continue to grow from strength to strength while
others such as Finance and Wholesale & Retail Trade begins to tighten and perhaps
shrink as consumer confidence tightens. Business leaders must continue to rethink
their strategies not only to attract staff but more importantly to retain the right talent,
as the staff that you lose today may well need replacing tomorrow.” Hinch said.
“There has been a general even spread of growth across all industries over the past
few years only constrained by labour supply, but as the economy tends to shift we
may well see a disaggregation where some industries such as Wholesale & Retail
contract while other industries continue to grow. The net result of this disaggregation
could see as many as 150,000 people losing their jobs over the next 12 to 18
months, but only a slight upswing in unemployment as those with transferable skills
can move to the growth sectors” noted Hinch.
-End-
For further information please contact
Stephen Hinch, Phone – 02 9263 8644, Mobile – 0488 495 270, shinch@manpower.com.au
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on the 9th of September
2008.
NEWS 
