Media Release
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Under embargo until 0:01, 9th September 2008
Australian employers hesitate as their hiring plans soften, but the sky is
not falling according to Manpower’s hiring survey.
We can expect a slower fourth-quarter national hiring pace, as a sign that the labour market
is softening as business confidence drops, it was revealed today in the Manpower
Employment Outlook Survey of hiring trends.
The survey of 2,405 employers across Australia reveals that employers intend to add fewer
staff to their workforces as we head into the end of 2008, and compared to last quarter of
2007.
The demands of Australia’s employment market appears to be continuing to moderate in
the October – December quarter of 2008, with a Net Employment Outlook of +18% compared
to +20% in the previous quarter. This forecast shows that just 18 percent of companies will
have jobs on offer compared to the 29 percent for the same period in 2007.
According to Scott McLachlan, Managing Director of Manpower Australia and New Zealand,
“This coming quarter’s declining forecast is the weakest reported by employers since Quarter 3,
2006, and while it shows an ongoing moderation in demand, this is coming from a very high
base that has existed over the past two years.
This ongoing moderation in demand for staff will see a slow down in the rate of jobs growth, so
while employment growth will continue to slow, there will not be the collapse that many
anticipate, and is not likely to fall below 2 percent year on year growth in 2008” said McLachlan.
From the recent survey data, there is a general decrease in hiring intention, with employers in
QLD, VIC and NSW more hesitant to take on more staff over the next three months and
notably in NSW, employer hiring plans are at a four-year low. While the smaller States of NT
and SA reveal the most favourable fourth-quarter hiring plans (+30% and +26% respectively).
Across all seven industry sectors, employers expect to pull back on hiring from the third quarter,
with the least optimistic outlook being reported by employers in the Wholesale & Retail industry
sector at +13%. While in the Mining & Construction industry, they are still experiencing a high
demand for workers at +24%.
“Australia’s recent economic downturn is weighing on the minds of business leaders and
employers. They are not conducting widespread layoffs across all industry sectors, which is
encouraging, yet we are not seeing much appetite to add staff either. In the coming months, we
will continue to see employers making do with the people they have, finding ways to contain
costs and being very cautious about hiring decisions.
Despite the coming quarter’s decline, the Net Employment Outlook remains stable but cautious
and we should see continuing net job gains of around 25,000 over the October to December
period.” said McLachlan.
-End-
For further information please contact:
Stephen Hinch, General Manager, Marketing & Communications
Phone – 02 9263 8644, Mobile – 0488 495 270, E shinch@manpower.com.au
Marissa Loe, PR & Events Manager, Phone – 02 9263 8566, E: mloe@manpower.com.au
Download a copy of the Australian Manpower Employment Outlook Survey at
- Continued -
Manpower Fact Sheet
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on the 9th of December
2008 to report hiring expectations for the first quarter of 2009. The Manpower Employment
Outlook Survey is available free of charge to the public through their local Manpower
representative in participating countries. You can download a copy of the Australian report in
Note to Editors
Full survey results for each of the 33 countries and territories included in this quarter’s
survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the Manpower Press Room at
available to be downloaded for use in publication or broadcast from the Manpower Web site
Note that in Quarter 2 of 2008, the survey adopted the TRAMO-SEATS model for seasonal
adjustment of data. As a result, you may notice some seasonally adjusted data points
change slightly from previous reports. This model is recommended by the Eurostat
department of the European Union and the European Central Bank and is widely used
internationally.
About the Survey
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers’
intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next
quarter. It is the most extensive forward-looking survey of its kind, unparalleled in its size,
scope, longevity and area of focus. The Survey has been running for more than 45 years
and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity in the world. The Manpower
Employment Outlook Survey is based on interviews with nearly 55,000 public and private
employers worldwide and is considered a highly respected economic indicator.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is currently available for 33 countries and
territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore,
Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United
States. The program began in the United States and Canada in 1962, and the United
Kingdom was added in 1966. Mexico and Ireland launched the survey in 2002, and 13
additional countries were added to the program in 2003. New Zealand joined the program in
2004, China, India, Switzerland and Taiwan were added in 2005, and Argentina, Peru, Costa
Rica and South Africa joined in 2006. Colombia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Guatemala,
Poland and Romania joined in 2008. For more information, visit the Manpower Inc. Web site
at www.manpower.com and enter the Research Center, or contact Bruce Bock, Sr. Global
Communications Manager at bruce.bock@manpower.com
About Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating
and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, the $21 billion company offers employers a range of
services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and
contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement;
outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of 4,500 offices in 80 countries
and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year,
including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's
largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity
through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling
clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five
brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management.
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