On December 28, CareerBuilder, an online resource that helps connect employers with qualified candidates, released the results of its annual job forecast. According to research from the company, the job market is not expected to experience significant changes in the coming year. The experts at Harris Interactive, which conducted the survey, say the same trends that dominated 2011 will likely continue to persist during the first half of the year despite the calendar change.
For example, roughly 23 percent of employers said they plan to hire full-time workers in 2012, which was relatively unchanged from 2011's predictions. Likewise, the same number of business owners – 7 percent – report that they are expecting to reduce their staff over the next 12 months.
Hiring is expected to increase in the small business sector, as many of these organizations and entities are finding new, creative ways to maximize their budgets and attract consumer spending. In total, the number of small business owners who said they expected to hire increased two percentage points, according to the study.
Companies with 500 or fewer employees were the most likely to ramp up their hiring, however, roughly 20 percent of businesses with fewer than 250 workers and 16 percent of companies with fewer than 50 employees said they expect to conduct hiring in 2012.
"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."
While the overall job market may be soft, recent studies have indicated that IT hiring is expected to increase in 2012. By investing in computer training with Microsoft certified instructors, for example, students with prior IT knowledge can gain the tools they need to leverage a strong resume and secure a new position in the new year.