Survey: Job Market May Not Improve Much In 2012

If you plan to look for a new job in 2012, better plan on a longer-than-expected search. The job market should improve some, but not a lot, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual job forecast.

According to the report, nearly one-in-four hiring managers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2012, similar to 2011. Employment trends among small businesses, which account for the majority of job creation in the U.S., are expected to show some improvement over last year.

The nationwide survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from November 9 to December 5, 2011, included more than 3,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes. Though the forecast is not all that encouraging, CareerBuilder says the situation could turn out to exceed expectations.

“Historically, our surveys have shown that employers are more conservative in their predictions than actual hiring,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Barring any major economic upsets, we expect 2012 to bring a better hiring picture than 2011, especially in the second half of the year. Many companies have been operating lean and have already pushed productivity limits. We’re likely to see gradual improvements in hiring across categories as companies respond to increased market demands.”

Full-time, Permanent Hiring

Twenty-three percent of employers surveyed plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2012, relatively unchanged from 24 percent for 2011 and up from 20 percent for 2010. Seven percent expect to decrease headcount, the same as for 2011 and an improvement from nine percent for 2010. Fifty-nine percent anticipate no change in their staff levels while 11 percent are unsure.

Small Business Hiring

Small businesses are reporting more confidence in both hiring and retaining headcount in 2012. Plans to downsize dropped two percentage points across small business segments while plans to hire increased two percentage points among companies with 50 or fewer employees.

• 50 or fewer employees – 16 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2012, up from 14 percent for 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 5 percent for 2011 to 3 percent for 2012
• 250 or fewer employees – 20 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff, up from 19 percent for 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 6 percent for 2011 to 4 percent for 2012
• 500 or fewer employees – 21 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff, on par with 2011; those reducing headcount fell from 6 percent for 2011 to 4 percent for 2012

Despite a stubbornly high jobless rate, some companies insist that they have job vacancies because they are unable to find qualified applicants to fill them. That's prompted some job seekers to return to school for an advanced degree, a step they believe will make them more marketable.

The New York Times reports that the increased number of workers dropping out of the labor force are women. It says for the first time, there are more young women in school than in the labor force.