Data Watch

Survey Forecasts Employment Trends for 2008

Nearly one-third of employers plan to hire new full-time, permanent employees in 2008, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.com. Although down from two-fifths expected for 2007, as found in the annual Job Forecast last year, the number is still healthy, says CareerBuilder.com's CEO Matt Ferguson.

Overall, this year's outlook is slightly less bullish than last year's, but the data nevertheless suggest that companies expect the economy to remain healthy. As a counterbalance to the 32% of employers that plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2008, 47% expect no change. Thirteen percent are unsure of what they will do, and only 8% expect to decrease the size of their workforce.

The outlook for part-time employment follows a similar trend. Twenty-one percent of survey participants plan to increase their number of part-time employees, a small year-over-year change; in 2007, 23% expected to do so. Furthermore, just 6% percent of employers plan to decrease the headcount of part-time staff in 2008, nearly three-fifths (58%) expect no change, and 15% are unsure what they will do.

In large numbers, employers expect to continue with their flexible work arrangements in 2008. Three-fifths say they currently offer such schedules to employees, and 39% plan to provide more flexible work alternatives in 2008. Additionally, 31% of employers anticipate working with freelancers or contractors, which suggests a growing receptivity among employers to nontraditional work arrangements, but also a possible hesitancy to hire more full-time employees.