The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, released earlier this week, indicates a continued decline in employment prospects for job seekers in the manufacturing sector, as employers intentions to hire new employees declines.
The survey of 2,806 employers across Australia revealed that the majority of employers in this sector are intending to hold the line on their employee levels for the next quarter.
The manufacturing sector is said to face a weak labour market in the July — September quarter of 2009, with a Net Employment Outlook of -8%.
Although the Outlook remains stable quarter-over-quarter, it declines by a steep 27 percentage points year-over-year.
“The third quarter of 2009 shows some stability for job seekers in this sector as there will be no decrease in the Net Employment Outlook. This supports our prediction of a ‘wait and see’ approach from the last two quarters — employers are playing it safe and holding onto key staff members and waiting till the economy improves before making pertinent headcount decisions,” said Lincoln Crawley, Managing Director, Manpower Australia and New Zealand.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey also reveals that employers in the Northern Territory (+21%) are reporting the most optimistic hiring intentions among all regions surveyed, and the region’s Outlook is 7 percentage points stronger and 1 percentage point weaker quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year, respectively.
In comparison, the least optimistic regional hiring intentions are reported by employers in the Brisbane/Queensland (-5%) region where the Outlook is 2 and 31 percentage points weaker quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year, respectively.
This region’s Outlook, as well as the Outlooks for Melbourne/Victoria (-1%), Hobart/Tasmania (+2%), is the weakest since the Australian survey was launched.
“The stability in hiring plans could be attributed to the recent interest rate cuts, combined with the Australian government’s stimulus package directed at high-spending groups such as pensioners and first-time home buyers, this should limit any additional rise in the jobless rate,” said Crawley.
”However, the pace of hiring in all sectors is expected to be weaker than historical patterns. Job seekers in the Transportation and Utilities sector will continue to be frustrated as the Outlook is the weakest since the survey began in 2003.”