Manpower, the recruitment and outsourcing company, is predicting an improvement in employment prospects in auto and manufacturing companies for the second quarter 2002.
Manpower's Quarterly Survey of Employment Prospects (QSEP) asked over 2,000 UK companies, spanning 11 regions and 20 industry sectors, if they expect an increase, decrease or no change in their staffing levels in the three months to the end of June 2002. A 'net balance' was then calculated by subtracting the percentage of companies expecting to reduce staff numbers from the percentage expecting to take on staff.
The balance of auto and manufacturing employers planning to take on more staff in the period April-June 2002 is at 4 per cent, while the net balance last quarter stood at -4 per cent, an increase of 8 per cent. The results still do not compare favourable with this time last year, however, when the net balance was 7 per cent.
Historically, the survey has found that auto and manufacturing job prospects had remained near zero until Q4 1993. From here they continued to increase quarter-on-quarter until Q4 1995. This was followed by a steady decline in the sector until Q4 1996 where the balance started to increase. In Q2 1998 the trend took a downward turn and in Q1 1999 there was a substantial 'dive'. Since then employment prospects have stayed relatively low.
Every industry sector is set to increase staffing in the quarter ahead (except electronics, which is neutral). Small companies (defined as those employing between 10-49 employees) are the most optimistic about staffing levels, with 19 per cent predicting new jobs. UK regions are equally buoyant. Expectations in all regions are up on the last quarter and four of the regions (Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire & Humberside and the North) are more confident than this time last year. Even the most pessimistic region, London, has a 'net balance' of +8.