A sharp deceleration in hiring by companies in the first quarter of this financial year has pushed the job market to an 18-month low, according to senior executives from Manpower India, Randstad, TeamLease, GlobalHunt and Futurestep, all leading hiring and staffing consultants. But the worst is yet to come, they warn, forecasting that hiring could shrink by another 2-5% next quarter. Some companies have started revising their manpower requirements downwards, they add. A crippling combination of factors ranging from the rupee's fall, global economic turmoil, a volatile stock market, policy paralysis, poor growth numbers and lack of investments has conspired to weaken corporate sentiment this quarter, leading to poor hiring. According to Sanjay Pandit, MD, Manpower India, "Hiring demand from clients has come down by as much as 30 percent when compared to 2011."

Source: The Economic Times