The Q1 2015 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) indicates that Hong Kong employers expect staffing levels to increase during the next three months at a steady pace similar to the previous five quarters. After removing seasonal variations from the survey data, Hong Kong’s Net Employment Outlook stands at an increase of 15%, unchanged when compared to the previous quarter and relatively stable year-on-year.
Eighteen percent of the 801 employers surveyed forecasted an increase in staffing levels in the first quarter of 2015, while only 3 percent predicted a decrease. Seventy-six percent of all employers surveyed expect no employment changes in Q1 2015. Employers were categorised in six industry sectors, and employers across the board forecast an increase in payroll during Q1 2015.
Globally, staffing levels are expected to increase in 38 of the 42 countries. Outlooks are generally more positive when compared to the Q4 2014 and Q1 2014 surveys; hiring confidence for the January-March time frame is once again strongest in India, Taiwan and New Zealand. The weakest and only negative forecasts are reported by employers in Finland, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
