Philadelphia — March 25
Employers are more optimistic on prospects for business growth and increased spending on talent development in 2013, according to a global survey of more than 2,000 senior human resources executives in 14 countries by Right Management, the talent and career management unit of ManpowerGroup.
A majority of the 650 U.S. executives participating in the survey expect recovery in 2013, up from only one-third in the year-earlier period. Nevertheless, two in four assume this year will be similar to 2012, characterized by sluggish growth and delayed HR initiatives. Just 10 percent of American respondents anticipate more cutbacks or restructurings, the survey found.
The global findings were slightly less optimistic than those for the U.S., with 47 percent predicting recovery and 33 percent merely sluggish growth. Nineteen percent, for the most part in Europe, foresee stagnation and reductions in force.
With respect to specific countries, HR executives from Brazil, China and India were the only ones more hopeful than their U.S. counterparts, with 68 percent, 73 percent and 80 percent, respectively, expecting recovery.
But European respondents were considerably less upbeat — particularly Belgium, France and Netherlands, with scarcely 11 percent, 19 percent and 14 percent anticipating recovery, respectively.
Source: Right Management
