CareerBuilder Forecasts Strong Hiring Trend For Remainder of 2015

Job growth may have slowed in August and September, and staffing’s outlook is less robust than it has been, but CareerBuilder says this fourth quarter could see some of the strongest hiring since 2006.

Its quarterly hiring forecast says 34 percent of U.S. employers plan to add full-time, permanent workers before the end of the year. Almost the same percentage of employers (33 percent) say they’ll be hiring seasonal workers.

Retailers, who collectively hire the bulk of the temporary holiday employees, are even more sure they’ll be hiring. CareerBuilder’s survey founds 53 percent of retail employers expect to add seasonal workers, a full 10-point jump over last year.

“Widespread” employer confidence

“Our study is reflecting a durability in the U.S. economy and labor market,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Employer confidence is widespread and the strongest we’ve seen since 2006.”

Pay, too, he said, is expected to improve over last year. The survey found 37 percent of employers planning to increase pay for their seasonal hires, an increase of 10 points from 2014.

Some 72 percent say they will pay $10 or more per hour, while 19 percent will pay $16 or more.

According to the survey, which CareerBuilder and its partner Harris Poll conduct quarterly, 39 percent of employers added to their full-time permanent workforce in the 3rd quarter. That was five points more than CareerBuilder predicted in its mid-year job forecast, and five points over the 34 percent of employers who added permanent workers in the same period last year.