Q4 Labor Trends

CareerBuilder.com and USA TODAY released the results of our Q4 U.S. hiring survey today. Cautious, but steady hiring is the general consensus as employers keep a watchful eye on economic indicators. Twenty-seven percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in Q4. Six percent expect to decrease headcount while 62 percent expect no change and 5 percent are unsure.

Other highlights include:

• Hiring is expected to remain strongest in the South and West.
• 44 percent of employers say they currently have positions for which they can't find qualified candidates;
• 27 percent say they are currently retaining workers whom they otherwise wouldn't because of performance issues or a slowdown in work.
• The majority of employers plan to increase salaries in Q4. One-in-five estimate salaries will increase 4 to 5 percent.

empleosCB.com, a subsidiary of CareerBuilder.com focused on online job search for the Hispanic community, issued today a press release regarding Spanish-speaking job candidates.

Highlights Include:

• Nearly half of employers (48 percent) say they are hiring Spanish-speaking job candidates in 2007 and 2008.
• Twenty-nine percent of hiring managers say they are placing a greater emphasis in 2007 and 2008 on finding employees who can relate to the Hispanic audience.
• More than one-in-five (21 percent) hiring managers say they plan to target Hispanic workers more aggressively in 2007 and 2008.