Companies are continuing to gradually rebuild their staff as business optimism grows, with the construction sector the most upbeat, according to a survey by human resources firm Manpower.
Reflecting government efforts to step up major infrastructure projects to help spur economic growth, optimism among employers in the hard-hit construction sector reached a record high for the second quarter of this year.
The survey saw a net employment outlook of 31 per cent, up 11 percentage points on the quarter and a 39-point rise on the year, as companies grow more confident that they will need to increase their workforces.
The hiring outlook is also promising for finance, insurance, real estate, manufacturing, services, transport and wholesale and retail companies.
Net employment outlook is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who expect to cut their workforce from the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity.
Overall, Manpower found 17 per cent of the 817 firms surveyed expected to hire more staff in the quarter, against 2 per cent looking to cut staff. This resulted in a net employment outlook of 15 per cent, compared with 13 per cent in the first quarter. Year on year, it is a jump of 18 percentage points.
