Hiring Managers Continue Bullish Outlook

April 9, 2012 – Hiring plans in the U.S. are getting back to pre-recession levels, according to CareerBuilder’s latest nationwide survey. One-third of employers added full-time, permanent employees in the first quarter of this year, on par with 2007 and the highest increase reported since the recession began. The momentum is expected to continue with 30 percent of employers planning to add new full-time, permanent staff in April through June. The national survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from February 9 to March 2, 2012, included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes. “We have moved from an anemic job market to one that is stable and growing,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “While still cautious, employers are feeling better about the state of the U.S. economy and the debt situation in Europe. The amount of job listings we're seeing for key categories on CareerBuilder.com are similar to that of 2007. All indicators point to steady improvement in the job market in the second quarter and beyond.” Looking ahead, 30 percent of employers plan to increase their full-time, permanent headcount in the second quarter, up from 28 percent last year. Six percent expect to downsize staffs, on par with last year. Fifty-eight percent anticipate no change while six percent are undecided.