Survey forecasts fall in employment for the North West

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey has forecast a fall in employment of two percent in the North West in the fourth quarter of 2011-gloomy prospects perhaps for graduates planning to stay in Manchester.

The survey is based on the responses of 2,100 UK employers on whether they plan on hiring employees or losing employees in the next quarter-a positive percentage figure represents an anticipated increase in the total number of employees in the area or sector being examined and a negative percentage means a fall in the number of employees anticipated.

On a national scale, results show positive intentions among employers; an increase in employment of two percent is anticipated. This does however represent a slowdown from the third quarter, when a national increase of three percent was anticipated. According to Manpower’s survey, the national outlook has dropped for the first time in the past 11 quarters.

Greg Hollis, Operations Manager at Manpower says: “As the economy slows down across the country, employers in the North West are still not confident enough to be taking on additional staff. If firms take the appropriate steps to hold onto their best people, invest in training and embrace flexible working options, they will equip themselves with the tools to survive the storm.”

Overall, the survey predicts the South to be hiring in the next quarter and the North not to be hiring.

The survey’s sector by sector results show utilities to be the sector with the most hiring forecast with an expected increase of 10 percent. Meanwhile the construction industry has forecast a five percent fall in employment, this being the 13^th consecutive quarter with a negative employment forecast-reflective of the slowdown in house building.

Whenever you expect to graduate, keep checking the quarterly surveys, the results are certainly food for thought.