Demand for new staff in the Q2 of 2008 remains strong in New Zealand

Demand for New Staff in the Second Quarter of 2008, Remains Strong in New Zealand according to Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

Auckland - Medianet International-AsiaNet - The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today shows that whilst the employment prospects for New Zealand's job seekers remain positive, the Net Employment Outlook for the upcoming quarter is below the long-term average.

The survey of 982 employers across New Zealand reveals that employers are being relatively cautious in their hiring plans for the second quarter of 2008, especially in comparison to the survey results reported in recent quarters.

According to the seasonally adjusted results of the survey, employer confidence declines by seven percentage points this quarter in a year-over-year comparison.

The demands of New Zealand's employment market appear to be moderating in the April - June quarter of 2008, with a Net Employment Outlook of +21 per cent reported in the second quarter of 2008. However, this is a one percentage point decrease compared to the previous quarter and below the high Net Employment Outlook of +28 per cent reported in the April - June quarter of 2007.

According to Catherine Lo-Giacco, General Manager of Manpower New Zealand, Although employer hiring expectations are softer from this time last year, demand remains healthy.

In the very tight labour market that exists across New Zealand demand for staff is significantly impacted by the outward flow of domestic talent to other markets.

The skills shortage continues to create very real structural changes in the workforce. This simply means companies need to employ strategies to ensure they not only hire the right talent, but ensure they have policies in place to make sure they retain staff.

Employers in the Public Administration & Education sector report the most optimistic hiring intentions at +30 per cent.
Additionally, employers in all three regions surveyed report active hiring intentions over the next three months.

Employers in Wellington are the most optimistic (+23 per cent), followed by those in Auckland (+22 per cent) and Christchurch (+20 per cent) Lo Giacco noted.

For further information please contact Catherine Lo Giacco, Phone: +649 308 3338, +64 21 644074, E: clogiacco@manpower.co.nz

Stephen Hinch, Phone +61 2 9263 8644, Mobile +61 488 495 270, E: shinch@manpower.com.au

Download the New Zealand Manpower Employment Outlook Survey at www.manpower.co.nz/meos.

Manpower Fact Sheet

The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on the 11th of June 2008 to report hiring expectations for the third quarter of 2008. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is available free of charge to the public through their local Manpower representative in participating countries. You can download a copy of the Australian report in full, at www.manpower.co.nz/meos.

Note to Editors

Full survey results for each of the 32 countries and territories included in this quarters survey, plus regional and global comparisons, can be found in the Manpower Press Room at www.manpower.com/meos. In addition, all tables and graphs from the full report are available to be downloaded for use in publication or broadcast from the Manpower Web site at http://www.manpower.com/library.

Note that in Quarter 2 of 2008, the survey adopted the TRAMO-SEATS model for seasonal adjustment of data. As a result, you may notice some seasonally adjusted data points change slightly from previous reports. This model is recommended by the Eurostat department of the European Union and the European Central Bank and is widely used internationally.

About the Survey

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. It is the most extensive forward-looking survey of its kind, unparalleled in its size, scope, longevity and area of focus. The Survey has been running for more than 45 years and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity in the world. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on interviews with more than 55,000 public and private employers worldwide and is considered a highly respected economic indicator.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is currently available for 32 countries and territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The program began in the United States and Canada in 1962, and the United Kingdom was added in 1966.

Mexico and Ireland launched the survey in 2002, and 13 additional countries were added to the program in 2003. New Zealand joined the program in 2004, China, India, Switzerland and Taiwan were added in 2005, and Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa joined in 2006. The Czech Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Poland and Romania joined in 2008. For more information, visit the Manpower Inc. website at www.manpower.com and enter the Research Centre.

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, the $21 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting.

Manpower's worldwide network of 4,500 offices in 80 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities.

Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management.
More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

SOURCE: Manpower