October-December quarter will see robust hiring in India: survey

New Delhi: Indian employers have the mostoptimistic hiring plans for the October-December quarter, driven by government's increased focus on ease of doing   business, a ManpowerGroup survey says. According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released, employers expect the hiring pace to remain  robust in the October-December time frame. The survey covered 5,047 employers across India. The net employers' outlook for the upcoming quarter stood  at 41 per cent, indicating that hiring confidence remained buoyant and job seekers are expected to benefit from strong labour market activity.    

"With increased focus of the government on the ease of doing business, many MNCs find a conducive investment climate in the country, resulting in creation of employment opportunities and business growth," ManpowerGroup India Group Managing Director A G Rao said.  The bullish hiring plans were mainly driven by e-commerce giants, who are in the process of ramping up workforce across various functions, particularly engineers and other specialists with an intention to be technology, product and  engineering-driven companies, Rao added.    

Sector-wise, the most optimistic hiring plans were reported by employers in the wholesale and retail trade sector and transportation and utilities sector, where net employment outlooks stood at 45 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively. From a regional perspective, employers in the Eastern  region anticipate the most opportunities for job seekers in the months ahead, reporting a net employment outlook of 42 per cent.    

The global trend for the job market also looks positive, with employers in 36 of 42 countries and territories saying  that they intend to add to their payrolls by varying margins during the October-December time frame. However, many employers are exercising caution and are  refraining from aggressive hiring until they sense more  meaningful indicators of a market upturn, as the pace of recovery following the recession continues to be slow and  protracted globally.    

Globally, employers in India and Taiwan report the  strongest hiring plans. Hiring intentions in the US continue  to improve, and the current outlook is the strongest since Quarter 4, 2007. However, employer optimism dwindled in Brazil and labour  market activity also slowed in China where employers forecast  weakest hiring environment in more than six years. Meanwhile, the forecast remains negative in Italy,  Greece, France and Finland, the survey indicated.