A regular global survey of hiring and firing trends covering over 14,400 organisations in 47 countries has found that the global recruitment market is steadying. The Global Snapshot project from the international recruitment firm, Antal, asked 14,465 companies in major markets such as western and eastern Europe, Africa, India, China and the USA whether they were currently hiring at professional and managerial level. It then asked whether they planned to do so in the coming quarter and whether they were currently letting staff go or were planning to do so in the next three months. Current hiring across the globe was down from 57% of respondents in the last survey in September to 50% now. However, the percentage of organisations intending to shed staff had dropped by 7% to 16%, indicating that the dip in recruitment activity is largely down to companies retaining their staff. Western Europe The highest current hiring levels were in Luxembourg (86%), the UK (66%), Belgium (65%), and France (58%). The lowest levels of hiring of professionals and managers were in the Netherlands (34%), Spain (33%) and Austria at just 23%. Eastern Europe and Eurasia The highest recruiting levels in this region were in the Ukraine (75%), Russia (72%) and the Czech Republic (64%).Hungarys well-documented economic problems meant that it continued to have the lowest level of hiring in the region, but showed a modest improvement of 3% on last quarter, with 30% of businesses questioned actively seeking new managers or professionals this quarter. Africa and the Middle East Saudi Arabia registered the highest level of recruitment at professional and managerial level in Africa and the Middle East (76%) with Egypt just behind at 75% and Kenya and Qatar at 73%. The lowest level was in the UAE at just 46%. Asia The Philippines scored the highest in this region (73%) Pakistan followed with 67%, and China at 66%. The lowest score came from Singapore, with just 35% of organisations currently hiring. The Americas The Americas region is currently the most active recruiter in the world, with an average of 70% of business currently taking on managers and professionals. The highest scores came from the USA and Mexico, both at (76%) and the lowest scoring country was Argentina at a still relatively high 60%. Australasia Activity in Australia is up, from 78% in September to 79%. However, recruitment activity is down from 74% to 50% in the New Zealand. Winners and losers Across the globe, the sectors with the highest levels of recruitment at managerial and professional level were: 1. 1. Social media 2. 2. Business Services 3. 3. Healthcare 4. 4. Retail 5. 5. Banking and Financial Services. The lowest were legal, communications and pharma/medical, all falling below 40%. Conclusions The good news is that the employment market is finally rightsizing and steadying,” says Tony Goodwin, Chairman and CEO of Antal International, “Although current recruitment activity is down by 7% from last quarter, this is matched by the percentage of organisations letting staff go, which has also dropped by 7% from 23% last quarter.” He continues, “Western Europe has taken a hit, recording the lowest levels of recruitment activity of all regions. However, the Americas region has overtaken the Asia-Pacific region in having the highest demand for professionals and managers, signifying a small rebalance in economic power.” He adds, Although recruitment is down slightly on a global level, the percentage of organisations that are currently recruiting is still relatively high and staff retention is on the rise and is predicted to remain consistent in the coming quarter.” Credit: www.onrec.com