Semper International Reports Jump in Hiring
BOSTON, Mass.—Semper International, a placement firm for skilled help in the graphic arts and printing industries, announced that, according to its research, the printing industry may finally be starting its recovery from the economic downturn. Results of its most recent Industry Insight survey show a positive outlook and an increased willingness to hire.
Since February 2003, Semper International has provided a quarterly survey offering estimates of trends in the printing and graphics industries. To prevent bias, survey questions—both qualitative and quantitative—are designed by Semper corporate partner Cvent. Survey participants include more than 300 small, medium, and large printing companies; both clients and prospects of Semper International. Participants provide data on revenue and hiring, as well as estimated outlooks on future trends. Data is requested from a random sample and are not screened. To preserve confidentiality, individual company information is not part of the tabulation.
"The more people working, the more that can purchase goods and services (and pay mortgages), creating a positive feedback loop and faster, sustained growth," notes Dave Regan, CEO Semper International. "Watch for some negative news about the slowdown at the end of 2010 coupled with the recent GDP contractions in the UK and Japan, that may cause some concern in a few weeks. Positive news is critical at this time to help build economic momentum."
The most recent survey indicates more positive business trends:
• 73 percent of companies surveyed reported a profitable Q4. This represents an increase of nearly 13 percentage points over last quarter.
• Looking at the first two weeks of Q1, current sales are stagnant over last quarter, likely an indication of the traditional January slow-down. The number of companies reporting a decrease in sales or no change remained approximately the same over last quarter.
• A mere 12.5 percent of the companies interviewed expected sales to decrease through the remainder of Q1, 2011. Last quarter nearly 20 percent expected a sales decrease.
