Are employers recruiting for Rhode Island HR jobs?

Posted on January 6, 2014

As the new year begins, a survey from CareerBuilder points to the possibility that employers may be recruiting for Rhode Island HR jobs.

The survey shows that employers are actively looking for these jobs in 2014:

Sales – 30 percent
Information Technology – 29 percent
Customer Service – 25 percent
Production – 24 percent
Administrative – 22 percent
Engineering – 17 percent
Marketing – 17 percent
Business Development – 17 percent
Accounting/Finance – 15 percent
Research/Development – 13 percent
Human Resources – 10 percent

In addition, nearly two in five (39 percent) small businesses with 250 or fewer employees reported that they are still struggling to recover from the last recession.  Like their larger counterparts, small businesses are also staying cautious as they assess market potential in the year ahead.

• 50 or fewer employees – 19 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, the same as last year; 9 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 6 percent last year.
• 250 or fewer employees – 22 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, down from 24 percent in 2013; 9 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 7 percent last year.
• 500 or fewer employees – 23 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, down from 24 percent in 2013; 10 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 7 percent last year.

By region:

• West – 26 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, down from 28 percent in 2013; 11 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 9 percent last year.
• Northeast – 24 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, up slightly from 23 percent in 2013; 13 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 10 percent last year.
• Midwest – 24 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, on par with 2013; 15 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 10 percent last year.
• South – 22 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2014, down from 27 percent in 2013; 12 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 9 percent last year.

Hiring for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) occupations is expected to take center stage with more than one in four employers (26 percent) planning to create jobs in these areas over the next 12 months.

Looking at functions across an organization, the top two positions companies plan to hire for in the New Year – Sales and Information Technology – are also where employers expect to provide the biggest salary increases.