40 Percent of Employers Plan to Rehire Some Workers They Laid Off, Survey Finds

As the economy slowly improves, 40 percent of employers are planning to rehire some former workers they laid off as either full-time employees or as consultants and freelancers to add needed skills, according to a survey by OI Partners, a global career transition and coaching firm with more than 200 locally owned offices in 27 countries.

According to the results of the survey:

Plans to rehire laid-off employees:
Yes: 40% plan to rehire some laid-off workers as full-time employees, consultants or freelancers.
No: 37% do not plan to hire back any laid-off workers.
Not sure: 23% are not sure of their plans.

How often companies have rehired laid-off employees:
Frequently: 16% of employers frequently rehire some laid-off workers.
Occasionally: 36% of companies occasionally hire back former employees.
Rarely: 29% rarely rehire laid-off employees.
Never: Only 19% said they never rehire laid-off workers.

Of those employers that rehire laid-off workers, their reasons for doing so are:
72% hire back some laid-off workers because of familiarity with their skills.
52% rehire former employees because they fit into the company’s culture and environment.
33% rehire laid-off employees because there is a shortage of good specialty experts.
31% hire back ex-employees because it is less risky than hiring new workers.
Only 14% said they rehire laid-off workers due to a shortage of good management employees.

Plans by industry for rehiring laid-off employees:
Financial Services: Yes (49%), No (28%), Not Sure (23%)
Manufacturing: Yes (47%), No (22%), Not Sure (31%)
Services Businesses: Yes (42%), No (38%), Not Sure (20%)
Health Care: Yes (24%), No (41%), Not Sure (35%)
Government/Nonprofit: Yes (21%), No (55%), Not Sure (24%)

For more info: http://www.oipartners.net

Source: Talent Management