Nearly one in 10 employers will hire more than of 500 new employees in 2007, according to a survey released by Chicago-based CareerBuilder.com on Dec. 26.
While more than one-third (36 percent) of employers expect to add 10 employees or fewer in 2007, 29 percent intend to hire more than 50, and 20 percent plan hire more than 100 new workers in 2007, according to the surveys results.
The most popular positions for recruiting will include health care (24 percent), administrative and clerical work (19 percent), sales (17 percent), accounting and financial operations (17 percent) and customer service (13 percent). Information technology will see a 13 percent uptick in recruitment activity, and engineering will see 9 percent.
“Recent reports from the U.S. Department of Labor support a sense in the market that the economy is slowing at a gradual, reasonable pace and inflation has steadied,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com.
“This bodes well for job creation as economists and employers alike predict a moderated, yet stable, hiring environment to carry over into the new year. Forty percent of hiring managers and human resource professionals surveyed report they will increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2007, compared to 2006. Eight percent expect to decrease headcount, while 40 percent expect no change. Twelve percent are unsure.”
Seven Hiring Trends
Career Builders survey predicts seven major hiring trends in 2007, the first being bigger paychecks. Eighty-one percent of employers in the survey reported that they will increase the salaries of their existing employees, and 65 percent said they would be raising compensation levels by 3 percent or more. Nearly one in five reported that their employees will see their income levels boosted by 5 percent or more.
Forty-nine percent of employers expected to increase initial salary offers to new employees.
Hispanic workers are expected to be in greater demand, according to the second trend predicted in the survey. One in 10 employers reported that they would be targeting Hispanic job candidates the most aggressively. Nine percent expected to step up diversity recruiting for African-American candidates, and 8 percent reported that they expect to target female job candidates.
Nearly half of respondents said that that bilingual employees, such as those who speak both English and Spanish, are in the most demand where they work.
The survey predicted that more flexible work arrangements and a greater focus on work-life balance will be major buzzwords among U.S. employers in 2007. Nineteen percent of employers said that they were very or extremely willing to provide more flexible work arrangements for workers, through job sharing and alternative schedules. Thirty-one percent reported that they were fairly willing.
Employers will continue to express concern in 2007 over the loss of Baby Boomers, according to the survey, leading many (one in five) who plan on rehiring retirees from other companies or provide incentives for workers approaching retirement age to stay onboard.
Noting that when employees perceive a lack of available promotions in the workplace, they leave, employers are expecting to work harder at carving out career paths for workers in 2007. Thirty-five percent of employers said that they planned to provide more promotions and career-advancement opportunities to their existing staff in the coming year.
Companies continue to intend to drive growth by entering or strengthening their presence in global markets in 2007, according to the survey, with 13 percent of employers reporting that they plan to expand their overseas operations. Twenty-three percent of employers reported that they will hire the most overseas workers in China, and 22 percent said it would be in India.
In response to a shortage of skilled workers, more employers said that they intended to focus on building the skills of their in-house employees. Seventy-eight percent reported that they were willing to recruit inexperienced workers and provide whatever training or certifications needed.