Developing World Is Hiring, But Sluggish Job Growth in Largest Economies

More than half the employers in three of the four of the world’s biggest developing nation economies say they’ll be adding staff in 2013, a marked contrast to Europe and the U.S. where the majority of firms expect no change.

Hiring will be most aggressive in Brazil, India, and China where more than half the employers — almost three-quarters in Brazil — say they’ll be adding workers this year. Russia, where mining and energy exports are fueling growth, is more conservative in its hiring; just under half of employers expect to be doing any hires.

Elsewhere among the world’s 10 largest economies, far fewer employers expect to add workers. According to a CareerBuilder survey, in the U.S., Japan, and four European countries, the largest share of employers either expect to cut staff or make no change during the year. Even in the UK and the U.S., where more than half the employers surveyed report being better off financially than a year ago, not many of them plan to hire.

“Europe remains sluggish”

“The job outlook presents varying degrees of growth and deceleration as governments and businesses strive to rebuild and expand and deal with large deficits,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.

“Hiring activity in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) is projected to be significantly higher than other markets while recruitment in Europe remains sluggish as leaders struggle to resolve a debt crisis that has global implications. The overall hiring picture is improving, but companies will remain watchful as they navigate headwinds and maneuver through somewhat precarious economic terrain.”

The survey was conducted for CareerBuilder by Harris Interactive from Nov. 1 to Nov.30, a time when in the U.S., employers were focusing on the upcoming fiscal cliff. That may have negatively influenced the outlook by the hiring managers Harris surveyed. Globally, more than 6,000 hiring managers in countries with the largest gross domestic product responded to the survey.

Nearly everywhere, tech and sales professionals are among the most in-demand. In six of the 10 countries, survey respondents cited the two jobs as among the top positions they’ll be filling. Customer service jobs and production positions were also commonly listed.