Hiring intentions dip - but stablise?

Hudson released their recent 'Employment Expectations' report, which showed employer confidence has hit a record low - but there are some signs of stabilisation of the industry.

Its survey found that 18.6% of employers planned to increase their permanent headcount during the June quarter. This means nearly 1/5 of organisations are planing to grow.

On the flipside, 63.6% of employers plan to maintain existing staffing levels, and the number expecting headcount to fall has jumped three-fold to 17.8%. So nearly 1/5 of organisations are planning to shrink.

This isn't nearly as gloomy as it sounds.

On last night's Q&A, Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing and Status of Women spoke of the halt in decline of retail jobs. And Hudson Australia and New Zealand CEO Mark Steyn also feels the rate of deterioration in hiring intentions was slowing. He told Shortlist:

The drop-off in the rate of decline is a good thing, and we've also seen the stock market go up over the last month too. The real question is whether this is a pause in the fall, and I think it is.

Finally, if anyone has some sparkling new business ideas, where better to turn than the grand maharajah of entrepreneurship, Ricky Branson. Pitch your ideas, he says on his blog, and he'll promote them on Virgin Atlantic screens, and you might just get the investment you need.

I think I just might...