MILWAUKEE, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Hiring on a global scale looks slightly improved heading into the first quarter of 2014, U.S. firm Manpower reported Tuesday.
In a quarterly survey that includes responses from 65,000 employers in 42 countries and territories, Manpower said hiring intentions for the first quarter were positive in 34 of the 42 locations. In the survey taken last year at this time, employers in 29 of 42 locations indicated positive hiring intentions.
Employers in only six countries in the more recent survey indicated net negative hiring intentions, Manpower said.
Net negative hiring intentions were indicated by employers in Italy, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Slovakia and Belgium.
In contrast, the strongest net positive hiring intentions were indicated by employers in Taiwan, India, New Zealand, Colombia and Singapore, Manpower said.
In Japan, hiring intentions were the strongest they have been at this time of year in six years.
In China, Germany and the United States, hiring intentions were relatively stable compared to a year earlier, the survey found.
In Greece, hiring intentions are at the strongest level since the fourth quarter of 2008, as hiring intentions there improved by 17 percentage points compared with the first quarter of 2013.
Manpower said "modest payroll gains are expected in France."
