The Economy

Hiring Expectations Weakest in 27 Years

April 10, 2009

U.S. employers project hiring activity to fall 2%, or 11% when adjusted to remove seasonal variations, from the first quarter to the second quarter.

Jonathan Katz

U.S. employers say they plan to hire at their slowest pace during the second quarter since the 1982 recession, according to a Manpower Inc. survey released in March. The survey of 72,000 employers in 33 countries shows U.S. firms expect employment to drop 16% from the year-earlier period between April and June. U.S. employers also project hiring activity to fall 2%, or 11% when adjusted to remove seasonal variations, from the first quarter to the second quarter. The chart below shows how the United States stacks up against other major countries' employment trends in the second quarter.

(All figures represent percentages)

Country	Q2 2008	Q1 2009	Q2 2009	Q1 2009 to Q2 2009 Change	Year on Year Change
United States	17 (15)*	3 (10)*	1 (-1)*	-2 (-11)*	-16 (-16)*
Canada	16 (12)*	7 (18)*	6 (1)*	-1 (-17)*	-10 (-11)*
Mexico	24 (21)*	-2 (1)*	-6 (-5)*	-4 (-6)*	-30 (-26)*
China	13 (12)*	9 (10)*	3 (4)*	-6 (-6)*	-10 (-8)*
India	36 (42)*	18 (19)*	19 (25)*	1 (6)*	-17 (-17)*
Japan	39 (20)*	-3 (5)*	12 (-5)*	15 (-10)*	-27 (-25)*
United Kingdom	(6) (6)*	-5 (-2)*	-6 (-6)*	-1 (-4)*	-12 (-12)*
*Number in parentheses is the net employment outlook when adjusted to remove the impact of seasonal variations in hiring activity. Source: Manpower Employment Outlook Survey