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Survey shows employment drop

Employment in Australia’s mining and construction sector is down 31% from the same time last year, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today.

Surveying 2,806 employers across Australia, the study found that the majority of employers in the sector plan on freezing their hiring procedures as the country’s Net Employment Outlook sits at -1%.

“The third quarter of 2009 shows some stability for job seekers in this sector, however, their future still remains uncertain,” Manpower Australia and New Zealand managing director Lincoln Crawley said.

“Employers are playing it safe and holding onto key staff members and waiting till the economy improves before making pertinent headcount decisions.”

The survey found that the Northern Territory has the most optimistic hiring intentions at 21%, while the least optimistic hiring intentions come from by employers in Queensland at —5%.

According to Crawley, the relative steadiness of employment may be the result of official and governmental efforts.

“The stability in hiring plans could be attributed to the recent interest rate cuts, combined with the Australian government’s stimulus package; this should limit any additional rise in the jobless rate,” he said.

“However, the pace of hiring in all sectors is expected to be weaker than historical patterns.”

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