Some Companies Plan 2007 Hiring Spree

A CareerBuilder.com news release said that its survey of hiring managers and human resource professionals found that 20% plan more than 100 new hires, 29% anticipate 50 new staffers and 36% expect 10 hires during 2007.

The most sought after employees, according to the survey are in:

• health care (24%),
• administrative/clerical (19%),
• sales (17%),
• accounting/financial operations (17%),
• customer service (13%),
• information technology (13%),
• management (12%), and
• engineering (9%).

“Employers expect to face greater human capital challenges as a large number of Baby Boomers retire and productivity growth plateaus,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com, in the news release. “Going into 2007, the US workforce is likely to see employers become more competitive in recruitment and retention efforts evident in higher salaries, better training and career advancement opportunities and more flexible work cultures.”

The survey found that hiring activity is expected to remain strongest in the South and West in 2007. Forty-four percent of employers in the South plan to add new employees compared to 41% of those in the West, 38% in the Midwest and 36% in the Northeast.

According to the news release, the survey also found evidence of a number of 2007 HR trends:

• Eighty-one percent of employers report their companies will increase salaries for existing employees. Sixty-five percent will bump salaries by 3% or more while nearly one-in-five will increase pay by 5% or more. Nearly half of employers (49%) expect to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees.
• One-in-ten employers report they will be targeting Hispanic job candidates most aggressively of all diverse segments. Nine percent plan to step up diversity recruiting for African American job candidates, while 8% will target female job candidates.
• Nineteen percent of employers say they are very or extremely willing to provide more flexible work arrangements for employees such as job sharing and alternate schedules.
• One-in-five employers plan to rehire retirees from other companies or provide incentives for workers approaching retirement age to stay on with the company longer.
• Thirty-five percent off employers plan to provide more promotions and career advancement opportunities to their existing staff.
• Thirteen percent of employers report they will expand operations and hire employees in other countries in 2007. Twenty-three percent will hire the most workers overseas in China and 22% will hire the most in India.
• Seventy-eight percent report they are willing to recruit workers who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and provide training/certifications needed.

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,627 US hiring managers and human resource professionals between November 17 and December 11, 2006.