Optimistic predictions registered last autumn fail to materialize in fourth EDHEC Employment barometer

The fourth EDHEC Employment barometer is now out. It shows that the expected employment turnaround suggested in last autumn’s barometer has failed to materialise, with firms instead adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
Only 58% of the firms who took part in our survey have in fact taken on new staff in the last 3 months, against 72% in the previous quarter, and expected recruitment is also down by about 25%. Moreover, fewer firms expect to recruit in large numbers compared to the last survey.
Another key finding is that firms which continued to recruit during the downturn say they will go on taking on staff, while those in difficulty or hedging their bets appear reluctant to hire new staff in the foreseeable future.
The audit and consulting sectors are still the biggest employers at Master level, while the marketing and banking sectors remain stable.
In conclusion, most firms continue to work in collaboration with higher education institutions, but at the same time there’s a sense of being at the start of a boat race: the crews are eyeing one another up and getting ready for off, but they haven’t unfurled the sails as yet so as not to leave the starting line too early...
The next EDHEC Young Graduate Employment Barometer will be published in May 2010.