Manufacturing

The Randstad Manufacturing Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among manufacturing workers, declined 3.6 points to 51.0 in the first quarter of 2013—alongside diminishing confidence levels in nearly every industry surveyed by Randstad. The online survey of 149 U.S. manufacturing workers was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad in January, February and March of 2013.

"Although we see a slight decline in overall confidence levels this quarter, we believe this may be an irregularity due to the uncertainty surrounding the sequester, as well as the continued gas price and payroll tax concerns," said Phyllis Finley , executive vice president at Randstad US. "We still believe the U.S. manufacturing sector is well-positioned to experience a significant rebound and likely surpass worldwide competition in the future. Software that bridges the virtual environment and the real world promises to streamline and bring efficiencies to the manufacturing process and boost productivity levels.

"In fact, according to Wanted Analytics, in February there were more than 8,500 job ads posted online for software developers in the manufacturing industry, representing eight percent of all software developer demand. Hiring for software developers in manufacturing is 61 percent higher than demand seen at this time four years ago. As the sector is rejuvenated by the utilization of software, more U.S. companies are bringing their manufacturing jobs back to American shores from overseas—also driving more growth and demand for skilled manufacturing workers.

"When it comes to filling these job opportunities, businesses will need to turn to a largely untapped resource—women. According to a recent report by consultancy Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, women are drastically underrepresented in the manufacturing industry workforce when compared to the general U.S. working population.  While women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force, the group only accounts for 24.8 percent of the manufacturing industry's workforce."

Q1 2013 Survey Highlights:

More Manufacturing Workers Believe the Economy is Getting Weaker

• Twenty-eight percent of manufacturing workers believe the economy is getting stronger, showing no change from the previous quarter. However, nearly half (45 percent) of workers say the economy is getting weaker, climbing 12 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2012.

Job Outlook Among Workers Barely Changed

• The number of workers who believe more jobs are available fell just one percentage point, decreasing from 22 percent to 21 percent in the first quarter.  Meanwhile, the number of manufacturing employees who believe fewer jobs are available increased slightly, rising from 48 percent to 50 percent.

Job Confidence Among Workers Dipped Slightly in the First Quarter

• Although the number of workers who are confident in their ability to find employment contracted slightly, falling from 45 percent to 42 percent in the first quarter, the percentage of manufacturing employees who say that are not confident in their ability find a job rose six percentage points to 25 percent this quarter.

Optimism in Future of Employers Declines

• The percentage of workers confident in the future of their employers fell to 53 percent, dropping six percentage points from the previous quarter's readings.

Significant Decline in the Number of Workers Likely to Job Search in First Quarter

• Just over a quarter (26 percent) of manufacturing workers say they are likely to look for a job in the next 12 months, dropping 11 percentage points from the previous quarter.

Healthcare

The Randstad Healthcare Employee Confidence Index reveals confidence levels among healthcare workers declined by 3.0 points to 54.5 in the first quarter of 2013. U.S. healthcare workers are less confident about their ability to find a job and in the strength of the overall economy, yet a majority still believe they could find new jobs. The online survey, conducted in January through March, 2013 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Healthcare, surveyed 183 healthcare workers, including physicians, healthcare administrators and other healthcare professionals.

"Although our Index took a turn this quarter, we must not forget that not only did all other indices we track decline, but the Index remains above 50.0—indicating a positive confidence level," said Steve McMahan , executive vice president of Randstad US, Professionals. "Employment gains in the healthcare industry continued to appear in March, adding 23,000 jobs to the economy, primarily within ambulatory services and hospitals. Also, with the enactment of many of the Affordable Care Act mandates around the corner, the industry is projected to grow even faster. Specifically, the new healthcare law will require the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) that meet "meaningful use" criteria or face huge penalties and missed Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements starting in 2015. The implementation and training needed to meet these new requirements is one major factor that will fuel job growth in the industry in next year or two. Following that period, the need for healthcare professionals will continue to be in full effect for years to come as an aging baby boomer population will need regular and complex care.

"The demand for healthcare professionals remains high, placing pressure on facilities to recruit and retain workers. Health systems are faced with high physician turnover, which according to a survey by the American Medical Group Association rose to 6.8 percent in 2012 from 6.5 percent in 2011. That represents the highest rate since data was first collected in 2005 and exceeds pre-recession levels. While we are seeing increased numbers of clinical graduates than in recent years, experienced clinicians are difficult to find. All in all, many trends taking place this year point to a very bright outlook for this sector."

Q1, 2013 Survey Highlights:

Slight Decrease in Number of Healthcare Workers Who Believe More Jobs Are Available

• In the first quarter of 2013, 21 percent of healthcare workers believe there are more jobs available, falling one percentage point from the fourth quarter of 2012. More than half of healthcare workers surveyed (52 percent) believe there are fewer job opportunities available, rising seven percentage points from to the previous quarter.

Healthcare Workers Less Likely to Job Search in First Quarter

• In the next 12 months, 26 percent of healthcare workers say they are likely to look for a new job, representing a decrease of five percentage points from the previous quarter.

Majority of Healthcare Workers Confident They Can Find a New Job

• More than half of healthcare workers surveyed (54 percent) indicated they are confident they could find a job in the next 12 months. This reflects a decrease from 58 percent in the previous quarter.

Slight Decrease in Employer Confidence Among Healthcare Workers

• Nearly six in ten (58 percent) healthcare workers feel confident in the future of their company, declining slightly by four percentage points from the previous quarter.

Healthcare Workers' Confidence in the Economy Dropped in First Quarter

• Just 22 percent of healthcare workers say the economy is getting stronger this quarter, a decrease of seven percentage points compared to Q4 2012. Forty-one percent of healthcare workers believe the economy is weakening, showing no change from the previous quarter.

To view the latest quarterly trends report, click here.

IT Employment hits another all-time high in April

The number of IT jobs grew 0.24 percent sequentially last month to 4,424,200, according to TechServe Alliance, a collaboration of IT & Engineering Staffing and Solutions firms, clients, consultants and suppliers. With the upward revision in March's numbers from 0.38 to 0.58 percent, IT employment has grown by 5.1% since April 2012.   

"I am pleased to see demand for IT professionals remains very strong.  With April's numbers, IT employment has grown for the 17th consecutive month hitting yet another all-time high," observed Mark Roberts , the CEO of TechServe Alliance. "IT continues to handily outperform most other sectors with an annual growth rate of more than three times the growth rate of the general workforce," added Roberts. 

For the complete April 2013 IT Index please visit:http://www.techservealliance.org/pressroom/documents/IndexreleaseMay2013.pdf

Engineering

The Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. engineers, dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2013 to 54.9, falling 2.9 points. The quarterly study, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Engineering, surveyed 112 U.S. workers employed in the engineering industry in January, February and March of 2013. This quarter's survey found declining employee sentiments regarding the strength of the economy and their ability to find employment, but more workers are feeling secure in their current jobs. Also, engineering professionals had the highest employee confidence levels among all industries tracked by Randstad, including IT, administrative and clerical, manufacturing, healthcare and finance and accounting.

"Although the Engineering Employee Confidence Index contracted slightly in the first quarter of 2013, demand for engineers remains high, especially in the civil, environmental, petroleum and computer disciplines," said Richard Zambacca , president of Randstad Engineering. "In fact, the engineering field is looking so positive that a recent U.S. News and World Report article heralded engineering as the new 'it' degree. According to the report, while the unemployment rate for people with bachelor's degrees was 3.9 percent in December 2012, the rate for engineers was 2.0 percent.

"One promising sector is civil engineering, which is buoyed by a boom in new construction and the need to update the nation's aging infrastructure. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the current population of about 263,000 civil engineers across the nation will grow 19 percent by 2020."

Q1 2013, Survey Highlights:

Engineering Workers' Confidence In the Economy Drops in the First Quarter

• Just over one-in-four (26 percent) engineering professionals believe the economy is getting stronger, a considerable drop from 34 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Engineers Less Optimistic About Job Availability

• Just over one-in-five (21 percent) engineering workers believe that more jobs are available, representing a decline of two percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2012. Nearly half (47 percent) of engineering workers believe fewer jobs are available this quarter.

Drop in Engineers' Confidence in Ability to Find New Jobs; Majority Remain Optimistic

• Just over half (51 percent) of engineers feel confident in their ability to find a new job. While still a majority, this represents a decline from 59 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Worker Sentiment about Job Security Remains Strong

• Seventy-three percent of engineers report they are not likely to lose their jobs over the next 12 months. This is a slight improvement from 2012's fourth quarter reading of 68 percent.

Slightly Fewer Engineers Likely to Search for New Employment

• Nearly four-in-ten (36 percent) engineers say they are likely to look for a new job within the next 12 months, a slight decrease of two percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2012.

To view the latest quarterly trends report, click here.