Poll Shows New Hiring Lagging Behind Recovery

A new survey conducted by the National Association of Business Economics showed that about two-thirds of those polled do not expect to see any change in employment in their companies over the coming six months. This is the largest number of employers in recent quarters who do not plan on taking on new employees, despite the fact that they do believe that the economy will prove to be a bit stronger this year.

The US economy seems to be reaching a plateau as the jobless rate falls to its lowest in three years, 8.5%, yet fewer businesses seem to be ready to hire new workers, compared to the previous industry poll.

The survey was done between December 15, 2011 and January 5, 2012 and found that 65% of those polled are expecting a rise in the gross domestic product of at least 2% between last year’s fourth quarter and this coming year’s fourth quarter.

This figure was higher than the 1.6% growth rate which economists suggested when a Reuters poll questioned them.

Approximately two-thirds of the polled companies do not believe that the economic crisis in Europe would have much of an impact on their own sales in the first half of 2012. A pessimistic view was taken by 27% of those surveyed, believing that they will see a decline in sales of 10 percent, or less.

About Alison Meadows

Alison Meadows has a PHD in Economic Trends in Modern Times and is a known writer who focuses on hedge fund investments. Meadows, her husband, and three kids live in Boston, where she grew up and attended college. Contact Alison at alison[at]businessdistrict.com