Recruitment is set to go all topsy turvy this summer with the ever-shrinking manufacturing sector set to outstrip hiring in finance companies.
Almost 20% of manufacturers are planning to recruit over the next quarter, compared with just 14% of financial and business services employers.
The latest Employment Outlook Survey, by recruitment company Manpower UK, showed a yearly drop of 11% for the financial and business services industry but a 14% increase for manufacturing.
Recruitment confidence in the manufacturing sector is picking up, the study of more than 2,000 UK employers showed.
But Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower UK, said he was not surprised by the results.
“Manufacturing output was at a 10-year high during the first three months of 2006, according to the [manufacturers’ organisation] EEF. Much of this is due to increased demand from Europe,” he said.
Cahill said the poor outlook for the finance and business services sector was partly due to seasonal variations.
“Many firms have now got the people they need to cope with current and immediate growth plans,” he said.
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“The hiring intentions are down on last quarter and this time last year, also a result of a period of consolidation,” Cahill added.
