The downturn in the economy can be good news for hiring managers. The latest survey indicates you can expect to see a lot applicants in the next few months, even during the traditionally slow job-hunting Holiday season.
The Business Roundtable released the quarterly survey last week of 100 CEOs asking them their plans for employment and growth for the rest of the year.
- 32% said they were going to cut employment over the next several months, up from a 31% response in June. The overall unemployment rate for August was 6.1%, the highest in five years.
- Based in the CEOs’ responses, business growth for the year will be 1.4%; that’s the lowest growth rate since 2001.
Some glimmers of hope:
- 92% said they expected their companies’ sales to hold steady or increase over the next six months.
- 91% said they would maintain or increase capital investments over the same period.
- The U.S Government reported record-high export sales over the last six months, but few are willing to predict where that trend is headed since economies in Europe and Asia are hitting rough patches, too.
Click here to see how the latest figures compare to Roundtable’s projections in 2007 and early 2008.
