Job Market Showing Gradual Improvement

April 2, 2010 – For the third consecutive quarter, more employers are projecting they will increase headcount in the next three months while fewer employers are expecting staff cuts, according to CareerBuilder and USA TODAY's Q4 2009 Job Forecast. Activity on CareerBuilder's site also shows evidence that employers are ready to initiate growth strategies once again. Twenty-three percent of employers reported they increased their full-time, permanent staff in the first quarter. This is up from 13 percent in the same period last year and up from 20 percent in the fourth quarter. Twelve percent decreased headcount, down from 26 percent year over year and down from 13 percent in the fourth quarter. Sixty-four percent of employers reported no change in their number of full-time, permanent employees while one percent were undecided. In addition, 23 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent headcount in the second quarter while eight percent plan to downsize staffs. Sixty-four percent anticipate no change while six percent are undecided. Looking at actual hiring for the second quarter in 2009, 18 percent of employers reported they had hired full-time, permanent staff while 17 percent reported they had decreased staff. Nearly one-in-ten employers (nine percent) plan to hire a new employee in the second quarter to focus on social media. An additional 13 percent plan to add social media management to a current employee's responsibilities. “The number of job listings on CareerBuilder.com have increased both sequentially and year over year in 2010,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “The recovery in the job market will take some time as employers face new market realities and gauge demand, but we expect to see gradual improvement throughout the year. The rise in online job listings and resurgence in temporary hiring are good leading indicators for stability in the market and the creation of more permanent jobs down the road.” The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive; more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries participated.