NW firms positive on job prospects

May 27 2009 by Alex Turner, Liverpool Daily Post

A GLOBAL survey by Warrington-based recruitment firm Antal International points towards a levelling-out of the job market in the North West.

The firm surveyed HR managers in more than 4,000 companies in three continents, and found that more UK businesses were looking to recruit in the next quarter than the global average.

Antal’s managing director, Lee Narraway, said: “Despite the fact that the UK economy shrank by nearly 2% in the first quarter of 2009, the survey suggests that businesses in the North West and the UK as a whole are weathering the recession well and generally feeling more positive about business growth.

“These overall figures do seem to mask a very fractured and varied market though, with some sectors displaying robust good health whilst others are suffering.

“Hiring levels in the financial advisory area, for example, are very low at only 15%, while, in the FMCG [Fast Moving Consumer Goods] sector, they reach as high as 64%.

“In the IT sector, hiring levels are still relatively low, but the survey found that many companies had not had such a bad first quarter as they had expected.”