As promised, I have some encouraging news about the job market for the new year, a nice Christmas present for those needing work or an employment upgrade.
Robert Half International, the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, conducted more than 4,000 telephone interviews with executives that show that hiring is expected to increase in the first quarter of 2012 for professional-level jobs. While the survey focused exclusively on professional-level hiring, the results represent a positive trend that will surely lead to more hiring across the board.
Key findings are:
* A net 10 percent of executives said they plan to add staff in the first quarter of 2012.
* 67 percent of executives said they encountered recruiting challenges, up eight points from the fourth quarter of 2011.
* The legal and marketing fields are expected to see the strongest hiring, with a net 27 percent of lawyers and a net 14 percent of advertising and marketing executives planning to increase staff levels.
* The technology, accounting and finance fields showed the strongest quarter-over-quarter hiring projections.
* 47 percent of all the executives surveyed said they are "very confident" while an additional 40 percent said they were "somewhat confident" in their organization's ability to grow in the first quarter of 2012.
The top positions in demand for accounting and finance include financial analysts, staff and senior accountants and business systems analysts.
The top positions in demand for the technology field include network administrators, Windows administrators and help desk and desktop support professionals.
The top positions in demand for advertising and marketing include account managers, brand/product managers and user experience (UX) designers.
The top positions in demand for the legal profession include bankruptcy and foreclosure (no surprise here), litigation and labor and employment.
The top five industries projecting the most growth are:
* Transportation at 19 percent
* Wholesale at 14 percent
* Construction at 14 percent
* Finance, insurance and real estate at 12 percent
* Retail at 10 percent
The survey also found a significant failure rate in hiring due to a considerable mismatch of the skill requirements of the job and the skills of the new hire, unclear performance expectations, personality conflicts and a failure to fit the corporate culture.
You must be clear about your skills and, if hired, be willing to ask your supervisor about performance expectations, do all you can to get along with others and do your best to fit into the corporate culture.
There are positive signs ahead. I hope this represents a nice Christmas present that can lead to a productive future.
Ron Campbell has worked extensively in the job preparation and job search industry. He can be reached at 801-386-1111 or campbellrv@gmail.com.
Comments