12-month hiring outlook improved over 2Q09, says APICS

APICS The Association for Operations Management and the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington released the third quarterly APICS Operations Management Employment Outlook today.

Data reported in the October 2009 survey indicate that 51 percent of survey respondents with hiring responsibility anticipate hiring staff in the next 12 months and 67 percent of those (34 percent of survey respondents with hiring responsibility) anticipate hiring in 1 or more of the following operational areas; execution and control of operations, purchasing/customer relationship management (CRM), quality, resource planning and supply chain management. Resource planning (10.1 percent) and supply chain management (9 percent) are expected to see the greatest rate of growth, according to the APICS Operations Management Employment Outlook. These data reflect an increase of 4 percent from the second quarter of 2009.

In contrast, 29 percent of survey respondents with hiring responsibility anticipate layoffs during the same period of time, with 23 percent of those (meaning, 7 percent of survey respondents with hiring responsibility) planning to layoff in 1 of the following operational areas; execution and control of operations, purchasing/CRM, quality, resource planning and supply chain management. These data reflect a decrease of 7 percent from the second quarter of 2009.

"The increases in hiring and decreases in layoffs detailed in the report are especially promising when contrasted with data from the first and second quarters of 2009," said APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE.

"Operations management jobs are integral to the productivity and financial stability of organizations across industries. Indicators of a return of these jobs bode well for the economy as a whole."

"Hiring and employment are critical elements of economic forecasting," said Drew Rosen, professor of operations management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a member of the research team. "The data in this report indicate a positive change in the economy and improved unemployment numbers over the next year."

The APICS Operations Management Employment Outlook charts future hiring and employment data for the operations management profession. This outlook differs from other published indices as it is forward looking, whereas other indexes are calculated based on historical data. This valuable new forecasting tool gives industry professionals and economists another source of key data to use in predicting economic growth or decline.

The initial data collection took place in March 2009, with additional rounds of data collection in July and October 2009. A random sample from a population of 30,000-plus operations management professionals was surveyed to identify prevailing compensation levels and anticipated hiring trends for operations management professionals over the next year. The survey has a margin of error of less than 5 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

APICS is based in Chicago.

– Mark T. Hoske, electronic products editor, Manufacturing Business Technology , MBT www.mbtmag.com

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