09.04.2009: Expectations of staff growth subdued for 2009

Prognoses for staff growth are noticeably less optimistic in the current business year than they were in the previous years. Altogether, only a little more than 30 % of the European micro, nano and materials enterprises are expecting their staff numbers to grow in 2009. More than half of the enterprises are expecting to keep staff numbers steady in 2009, while almost 17 % are expecting a decrease. The decreasing staff numbers in almost 15 % of the companies in 2008 came as a surprise for these companies: in the previous year’s survey they did not anticipate a decrease in 2008.

Source: IVAM Research, Survey of the European Micro, Nano and Advanced Materials industry, February 2009