Looks like only about one in five companies will be looking to add staff in the last three months of the year. But those who are hiring say they’re having a hard time finding qualified candidates for certain jobs.
The 21% of companies planning to hire is down from last quarter, but on a par for the fourth quarter of last year, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.
CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,600 hiring managers and human resource professionals between Aug. 16 and Sept. 8.
Hiring typically slows down during the tail end of the year, CareerBuilder said.
When looking for talent, companies are still having a difficult time filling certain positions despite the stiff competition for jobs.
Two-thirds of employers (67%) expressed concern over the education and skills gap in the U.S. and corresponding deficit in talent for specialized positions.
The top problem areas: include engineering (cited by 37% of survey participants) and information technology (33%).
Recent hiring, staff reduction numbers
More than one-in-four hiring managers (26%) reported they hired full-time, permanent staff in the third quarter of this year, up slightly from 25% last year but down from 29% in Q2.
Staff reductions slightly improved year-over-year — 11% reporting a decrease in headcount in Q3 2011 compared to 12% in 2010. Sixty-two percent of employers reported their staff levels stayed the same in Q3 while 1%were unsure.
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