Semper International Survey Shows Stagnant Hiring
The most recent survey indicates more negative business trends:
• 61 percent of companies surveyed reported a profitable Q3. Profitability has decreased every quarter, but this is the smallest quarterly drop (4 percent) this year.
• Looking at the first two weeks of Q4, 2011 the number of respondents reporting an increase in sales is up almost 5 percentage points.
• 20 percent of the companies interviewed expected sales to decrease through the remainder of Q4, 2011, the same as last quarter.
• Nearly 80 percent of respondents indicated that hiring levels will remain the same. These results were up 11 percent from last quarter. The number of companies laying off employees has been trending upward very slightly over the last year.
• For the seventh straight quarter, a large majority of companies reported that healthcare is the labor cost component that increased the fastest during the past quarter. Although healthcare remains a concern, it is decreasing in importance. Overtime pay is a significant concern this quarter with 23 percent of respondents reporting an increase in concern.
• The greatest competitive threat to printers remains the current economic climate. Respondents reporting threats from lower cost competitors jumped 53 percent.
• Ink to substrate is the respondents’ primary profit center. Digital print was the primary profit center in the Q2 and Q3 surveys.
• Referrals (43 percent) from internal staff and online searches (35 percent) continue to be the most popular ways to find employees.
- Companies:
- Semper International