India 3rd most optimistic nation on hiring plans

New Delhi: India is the third most optimistic nation in hiring intentions as 22 percent of employers are expected to add more staff in the next three months while Taiwan topped the pack, says a survey.

According to the survey released today by leading staffing consultancy ManpowerGroup India, workforce gains were expected across all seven industry sectors monitored and in all four regions.

The survey -- which was conducted among over 4,500 employers across the country in various segments of industries -- noted that opportunities for job-seekers are expected to be slightly stronger than they were in the previous quarter.

Taiwan with a net employment outlook of 25 percent topped the list of being most optimistic in terms of hiring intentions for the next three months, followed by Japan (24 percent) and India (22 percent) in second and third positions, respectively.

Globally, ManpowerGroup interviewed nearly 59,000 employers across 43 countries and territories and noted that companies in Australia, Japan, Norway, Poland, Romania and the United States reported their strongest hiring plans in five years or more.

Moreover, the job market volatility recently observed in some countries -- most notably in Brazil, China and India -- "is declining", it noted.

"There are continuous ongoing measures to encourage industries to expand their operations, which in turn will help boost the job market. Employer hiring intentions remain positive in all seven sectors, primarily driven by services, mining and construction, manufacturing, and transportation and utilities sectors," said A G Rao, Group Managing Director at ManpowerGroup India.

Workforce gains were expected in all seven industry sectors during January-March while services employers reported the strongest net employment outlook of 27 percent.

Moreover, employers forecast payroll gains in all the four regions during the first quarter of 2018. The strongest labour market is anticipated in the north, where the net employment outlook stands at 32 percent.

Rao, however, added that this current job environment is conducive to employees who showcase high learnability and the ability to re-skill themselves rapidly.

"Job-seekers and fresh graduates need to possess the desire and ability to learn new skills to stay relevant and remain employable. The challenge is to stay ahead at this time along with other factors such as global demographical shifts and the growing competition," he added.