3% drop in number of firms planning to hire

The employment outlook for the first quarter of 2013 is gloomy, according to the Manpower employment outlook survey, which looks at firms’ intention to hire workers.

Overall there was a 3% fall year in the number of companies that are planning on hiring people in the first quarter of 2013.

The weakest hiring intentions are reported in finance and business services, down 16%, pharmaceutical down 10%, retail down 8%, mining down 7%, and restaurants and hotels down 7%.