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What 2013 Has in Store for Us: The Annual Hiring Forecast Is Here

Although 2013 is expected to bring more jobs (along with spiked eggnog-fueled versions of Auld Lang Syne and maybe a not-so Rockin’ Eve sans Dick Clark), U.S. employers are playing it cool right now. According to CareerBuilder’s annual hiring forecast, conducted among 2,611 hiring managers and HR professionals and 3,991 workers, more than a quarter — 26 percent — of hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the New Year, up three percentage points over 2012.

CareerBuilder’s CEO Matt Ferguson notes that while many employers are in a better financial position now than in the recent past, they’re still cautious about the state of the market and future recovery:

“More than 60 percent of employers reported that they are in a better financial position than last year and more than 40 percent said their sales increased over the last six months. While this bodes well for job creation, employers are still assessing the implications of a weakened global market and a modest recovery at home.”

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Top Trends for 2013:

  • Full-time, permanent hiring is up — and down: While the number of employers adding headcount is trending up from 2012, so is the number of those planning to reduce staff, indicating the continued mix of optimism and caution we’ve seen so much of throughout this recovery. Case in point: While 26 percent of employers expect to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2013, up from 23 percent in 2012, 9 percent plan to decrease headcount, up from 7 percent in 2012.
  • Many market segments will see active hiring: Sales and information technology boast the top spot when it comes to hiring in the New Year – and those two positions are also where employers expect to see the biggest salary increases. Sales and IT aren’t the only hot positions for the New Year, though; the following percentage of hiring managers plan to recruit full-time, permanent employees for these other positions:
    • Sales – 29 percent
    • Information Technology – 27 percent
    • Customer Service – 23 percent
    • Engineering – 22 percent
    • Production – 22 percent
    • Business Development – 18 percent
    • Administrative – 17 percent
    • Research & Development – 15 percent
    • Accounting & Finance – 14 percent
    • Marketing – 14 percent
  • Temporary and contract hiring are filling some hiring gaps: As market demands increase, more companies are turning to staffing and recruiting companies and temporary workers to fill the gap. Forty percent of employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers in 2013, up from 36 percent last year.
  • Small businesses are split in their hiring plans: While small businesses (those with 500 or fewer employees) are showing more confidence in their hiring plans, many of them are still showing concern when it comes to financial stability and market demand.

It’s not a huge surprise, then, that 15 percent of small businesses say they plan to take out new lines of credit in 2013, and that hiring plans are equally split: Plans to hire increased at least three percentage points across small business segments from 2012, while plans to downsize trended up the same amount.

  • Efforts to decrease the skills gap: In more and more market areas, demand for skilled positions is growing much faster than supply, leaving many employers unable to find qualified workers.

As companies work to fix the problem and get the right people in the door, workers should be on the lookout for three trends in the New Year:

1) Employers scouting talent at other organizations.

Employers may come knocking, solicited or not. Nearly one in five workers (19 percent) reported they have been approached to work for another company in the last year when they didn’t apply for a position with that organization.

2) More employers willing to increase compensation.

In an effort to retain and attract top talent for skilled positions, employers expect to provide higher compensation for both current staff and prospective employees.

3) Employers creating the right candidate instead of waiting for one.

Employers are taking measures to “re-skill” workers themselves. Thirty-nine percent plan to train people who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and hire them for positions within their organizations, up from 38 percent last year.

Download the entire forecast here.

Amy Chulik McDonnell

About Amy Chulik McDonnell

Originally hailing from Ohio, Amy is a content strategist on the marketing and communications team who has been with both CareerBuilder and the city of Chicago for more than eight years. She writes on a range of recruitment topics on The Hiring Site, striving to bring a dose of clarity and humor to sometimes complicated issues around employee attraction, engagement and retention. The voice of @cbforemployers on Twitter, Amy also writes and edits content for the CareerBuilder website and CareerBuilder ebooks, emails, marketing campaigns, and more. When she's not working, Amy spends as much time as possible reading, cooking, writing short stories, eating Nutella out of the jar, waiting for CTA buses and trains, going to see her favorite bands live, and spending time with people who inspire and challenge her.
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Rajpreet 8 pts

Wow that was a good first sentence. I blog too and I can appreciate catchy phrasing. These hiring statistics are useful, I'm emailing your article to my co-workers. 

 

You mention companies are creating the right employee instead of waiting for one. Do you think more companies should adopt this technique? It would allow them to hire someone who is ready to learn and has a great attitude. 

Trackbacks

  1. [...] What 2013 Has in Store for Us: The Annual Hiring Forecast Is Here Although 2013 is expected to bring more jobs (along with spiked eggnog-fueled versions of Auld Lang Syne and maybe a not-so Rockin’ Eve sans Dick Clark), U.S. employers are playing it cool right now. According to CareerBuilder’s annual hiring forecast, conducted among 2,611 hiring managers and HR professionals and 3,991 workers, more than a quarter — 26 percent — of hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the New Year, up three percentage points over 2012. [...]

  2. [...] Employers are taking measures to “re-skill” workers themselves, rather than waiting to find the perfect candidate. Thirty-nine percent of employers plan to train people who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and hire them for positions within their organizations, up from 38 percent last year, according to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast. [...]

  3. [...] to provide higher compensation for both current staff and prospective employees. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, seventy-two percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees – up from [...]

  4. [...] to provide higher compensation for both current staff and prospective employees. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, seventy-two percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees – up from [...]

  5. [...] have a pretty good idea by now of what businesses across the U.S. are planning when it comes to hiring, finances and compensation in 2013 — but what does growth look like [...]

  6. [...] have a pretty good idea by now of what businesses across the U.S. are planning when it comes to hiring, finances and compensation in 2013 — but what does growth look like [...]

  7. [...] employers are cautious about the state of the market and future recovery, many market segments will see active hiring in 2013. Sales and information technology boast the [...]

  8. [...] according to CareerBuilder’s annual hiring forecast, 42 percent of hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent IT employees in 2013, up four [...]

  9. [...] these employers, 42 percent plan to transition some temporary workers  into full-time, permanent employees in the ne…. While companies remain cautiously optimistic about the economic recovery, temporary workers [...]

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  11. [...] job candidates and employees, and employers are stepping up this year in that respect. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, 72 percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees, and 47 percent will [...]

  12. [...] job candidates and employees, and employers are stepping up this year in that respect. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, 72 percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees, and 47 percent will [...]

  13. [...] job seekers and employees, and employers are stepping up this year in that respect. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, 72 percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees and 47 percent will [...]

  14. [...] Employers who are hoping to supplement their staffing needs with temporary or contract workers this year may face some competition, as 40 percent of employers plan to do the same. [...]

  15. [...] Staffing Agencies: As indicated by CareerBuilder’s most recent Hiring Forecast, more companies are planning to hire temporary and contract workers this year than in previous years. Companies typically use temporary staffing agencies for two [...]

  16. [...] According to CareerBuilder, “Temporary and contract hiring are filling some hiring gaps: As market demands increase, [...]

  17. [...] job seekers and employees, and employers are stepping up this year in that respect. According to CareerBuilder’s 2013 Hiring Forecast, 72 percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees and 47 percent will [...]

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