Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Second Quarter 2011
EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011 AT 12:01 a.m. EST
Contact:
Andrea Fauaz Hirsch
CAC Porter Novelli
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Phone no.: (506) 2205-4098
Costa Rican employers say they will ease the pace of hiring in the second
quarter; job prospects remain favorable
: Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

Job prospects soften slightly from last quarter, but remain positive.

21 percent of the Costa Rican employers surveyed expect to add to their payrolls in Q2 2011, 5
percent plan workforce reductions, and 73 percent expect no changes to their workforce. When
seasonal variations are removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook for Costa Rica is
+17%.

Costa Rican employers report positive hiring intentions in all industry sectors within all regions.

The strongest hiring intentions are reported by employers in the Transport & Communication
sector.

Employers in 33 of 39 countries and territories surveyed report varying degrees of positive
hiring activity for the second quarter; job prospects improve in 18 countries quarter-over-quarter
and in 25 compared to 12 months ago.
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA (8 March 2011) –The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
today reports that hiring intentions among Costa Rican employers remain favorable for the
second quarter of 2011, with more than one out of five planning to increase their payrolls,
and nearly three out of four expecting no changes to their current workforces. However,
the +17% Outlook indicates that employers expect the hiring pace to be slightly softer than
three months ago.
“Costa Rican employers maintain their confidence regarding the second quarter labor
market. The vast majority is not planning to make any workforce changes and a good
percentage is planning to add to their payrolls. However, the overall result indicates they
are less optimistic than they were both one quarter and one year ago,” said Eric Quesada,
Regional Director for Manpower Central America and Dominican Republic. “The fact that
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Second Quarter 2011
employers remain positive and that their forecasts are only marginally weaker over time is
a sign of stability in the labor market. Labor market recovery from the global financial crisis
is proceeding at different speeds within each of the countries in the region and those
developments will need to run their course in every country.”
Industry Sector Comparisons
Transports & Communications
sector employers are the most
optimistic, reporting a seasonally
adjusted Net Employment Outlook
of +27%.
Employers in all six industry sectors predict increased staffing levels during Quarter 2.
Transport & Communication sector employers report the strongest hiring intentions, with a
Net Employment Outlook of +27%. Elsewhere, a steady hiring pace is forecast in the
Commerce sector, with an Outlook of +18%, and in the Manufacturing sector, with an
Outlook of +17%. Hopeful hiring plans are indicated in the Construction and the Services
sectors, with employers in both reporting Outlooks of +15%. Employers in the Agriculture,
Fishing, Mining & Extraction sector report an Outlook of +13%.
Quarter-over-quarter, hiring prospects improve in three of the six industry sectors,
according to employers. The Transport & Communication sector Outlook increases by 10
percentage points, and the Commerce sector Outlook is 3 percentage points stronger.
Meanwhile, employers in the remaining three sectors report weaker hiring intentions, most
notably a 10 percentage point decline in Outlook for the Agriculture, Fishing, Mining &
Extraction sector and a 9 percentage point decrease in the Services sector Outlook.
Five of Costa Rica’s six industry sectors show a weaker hiring pace year-over-year. A
considerable decline of 14 percentage points is reported in the Outlook for the Agriculture,
Fishing, Mining & Extraction sector, while Manufacturing employers report a decrease of
10 percentage points. However, Construction sector employers report stronger hiring
prospects, with an Outlook increase of 13 percentage points.
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Second Quarter 2011
Regional Comparisons
Employers in San José are those
who report the most optimistic
hiring intentions for the quarter
ahead, with a Net Employment
Outlook of +23%.
Employers in all six regions forecast an increased hiring in Quarter 2. The most optimistic
hiring intentions are reported in San Jose, where the Net Employment Outlook stands at
+23%, and in Alajuela, with an Outlook of +20%. Heredia employers report upbeat hiring
plans with an Outlook of +16%, while in Puntarenas and Limon, the Outlook stands at a
respectable +12%.
Quarter-over-quarter, hiring prospects are softer in four of the six regions, most notably by
a steep margin of 22 percentage points in Puntarenas and Limon. Guanacaste employers
report a considerable Outlook decline of 9 percentage points, while decreases of 6 and 4
percentage points are reported in Heredia and Cartago, respectively. Meanwhile, the San
Jose Outlook improves by 5 percentage points.
Year-over-year, employers in all six regions expect a slower hiring pace. The Cartago
Outlook declines by 22 percentage points, while employers in Puntarenas and Limon
report a 15 percentage point decrease. In Heredia, a 12 percentage point decline is
reported.
International Comparisons
According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today, employer hiring
plans for the second quarter are strongest in emerging markets, compared to their more
developed counterparts in the global labor market. Second quarter job prospects results
improve in 18 countries quarter-over-quarter and in 25 compared to 12 months ago.
The Manpower survey shows employers in 33 of 39 countries and territories report varying
degrees of positive hiring activity for the second quarter. Employers in India, Taiwan,
Brazil, China, and Turkey report the strongest second-quarter hiring expectations, while
those Greece, Spain, Ireland and Italy report the weakest forecasts globally.
Manpower Employment Outlook Survey
Second Quarter 2011
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on 14 June 2011 to
report hiring expectations for the third quarter of 2011. The Manpower Employment
Outlook Survey is available free of charge to the public through their local Manpower
representative in participating countries.
About the Survey
An innovative workforce solutions company, Manpower Inc. releases the Manpower
Employment Outlook Survey quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or
decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. It is the
world’s most extensive, forward-looking employment survey, polling nearly 64,000
employers in 39 countries and territories. The survey is one of the best independent data
sources to determine where the labor market is headed.
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Note to Editors
Commentary is based on seasonally adjusted data where available. Full survey results for
each of the 39 countries and territories included in this quarter’s 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/press/meos.cfm
About Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), world leader in innovative workforce solutions; creates and
delivers services that help clients meet their business and workforce objectives while
enhancing their competitiveness. The $19 billion company provides a full suite of solutions
for the business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee
assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting.
Manpower’s worldwide network of nearly 3,900 offices in 82 countries and territories is the
world’s largest in the industry and 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
unleashing the potential of humans so that employers and individuals can achieve more
than they imagined. More information about Manpower Inc. is available at
www.manpower.com.
Enter the Human Age at: www.manpower.com/humanage
Manpower Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic
The region started operations 40 years ago in Mexico. We have over 100 offices in
Mexico, Central America (El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and
Nicaragua), and in the Dominican Republic. We service 2,200 clients and 65,000
temporary and permanent associates per month. For more information about Manpower
Mexico, Central America and Dominican Republic, visit us at www.manpower.com.mx
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