Employers will be taking a step back in hiring in the second quarter in many of the world's largest economies, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey of global hiring trends released today by Manpower Inc. NYSE: MAN. Notably, employers in the United States, China, Italy, Norway and Spain have indicated that they will be adding fewer employees in the quarter ahead, marking a more negative tone than in survey results throughout the past year."There has been a decided shift in employer sentiment in this quarter's survey, with employers in many countries, including the U.S., pulling back their hiring plans in a bigger way than we have seen in several years," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman & CEO of Manpower Inc. "The important change we are seeing is not about reductions in workforces, like we would typically expect in a recessionary period, but rather an increase in the percentages of employers who are planning to put a hold on hiring and forge ahead with the people they already have. This is definitely a 'wait and see' approach as they evaluate where their economies are headed, rather than a panic attack at this point," he added.
