Manpower Employment Outlook Survey - NZ

The New Zealand Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Indicates a Struggling Labour Market in The Second Quarter of 2009

SYDNEY, Mar. 10/Medianet International-AsiaNet/ --

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

The New Zealand Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Indicates a Struggling Labour Market in The Second Quarter of 2009.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today reveals the pace of hiring is set to decline further into the second quarter of 2009.

The Manpower survey of 868 employers throughout New Zealand, indicates hiring intentions for the next three months has decreased considerably, with the Net Employment Outlook declining to -10%. Significantly, the year-on-year decline of 30 percentage points brings the Net Employment Outlook to its least optimistic level since the survey began in the second quarter of 2004.

``Hiring intentions in New Zealand have continued to fall in the last three months, however, there is some good news with the majority of employers indicating they will make no reductions to their current headcount,’’ said Lincoln Crawley, Managing Director, Manpower Australia and New Zealand.

From the recent survey data, there has been a widespread decrease in hiring intentions in all three regions, with employers in Wellington the most hesitant to take on employees. Across five of the seven industry sectors, there has also been a decline, with employers in the Manufacturing, Mining & Construction, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate industry sectors making the biggest pull back in hiring. However, a positive hiring pace is reported in the Transportation & Utilities sector where employers are anticipating some headcount gains.

``The Net Employment Outlook continues to decline as we head into the second quarter of 2009 but as no one can predict when the economic situation will improve, employers need to be prepared for the upswing. This means retaining top talent and adopting a flexible workforce approach so they have access to the right skills at the right time,’’ Crawley said.

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Download the New Zealand Manpower Employment Outlook Survey at www.manpower.co.nz/documents/Q2-09NZ-MEOS.pdf.

Manpower Fact Sheet
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on the 9th June 2009 to report hiring expectations for the third quarter of 2009. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is available free of charge to the public through their local Manpower representative in participating countries. You can download a copy of the Australian report in full, at www.manpower.co.nz/meos.

Note to Editors
Commentary is based on seasonally adjusted data where available. Full survey results for each of the 33 countries and territories included in this quarter’s survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the Manpower Press Room at www.manpower.com/meos. In addition, all tables and graphs from the full report are available to be downloaded for use in publication or broadcast from the Manpower Web site at http://www.manpower.com/library.

About the Survey
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. It is the most extensive forward-looking survey of its kind, unparalleled in its size, scope, longevity and area of focus. The Survey has been running for more than 45 years and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity in the world. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on interviews with nearly 72,000 public and private employers worldwide and is considered a highly respected economic indicator.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is currently available for 33 countries and territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The program began in the United States and Canada in 1962, and the United Kingdom was added in 1966. Mexico and Ireland launched the survey in 2002, and 13 additional countries were added to the program in 2003. New Zealand joined the program in 2004, China, India, Switzerland and Taiwan were added in 2005, and Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa joined in 2006. Colombia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Poland and Romania joined in 2008. For more information, visit the Manpower Inc. Web site at www.manpower.com and enter the Research Center, or contact Bruce Bock, Sr. Global Communications Manager at bruce.bock@manpower.com.

About Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, the $22 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of 4,400 offices in 82 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

SOURCE: Manpower

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