Almost 7 in 10 banks to freeze hiring

Good news is that only a few companies will enforce retrenchment.

According to Achieve Group's Hiring Trends Report for 2H12, the top sectors that intend to hire in 2H 2012 are Property & Construction; Hospitality, Retail & F&B; Healthcare & Pharmaceutical; and Professional Services.

Here's more from Hiring Trends:

Banking & Finance
The majority (66%) of companies in the Banking & Finance industry said they would implement a hiring freeze. 32% are planning to expand their workforce and only 2% intend to trim headcounts.

Healthcare & Pharmaceutical
34% of companies in this sector are planning to hire more staff while 64% are not. Only 2% said they would be cutting down their staff numbers.

IT & Telecommunications
In the IT & Telecommunications sector, 32% intend to boost their workforce while 60% will freeze hiring in 2H 2012. The remaining 8% expect to retrench staff.

Hospitality, Retail & F&B
36% of companies in this sector are planning to hire while 64% are choosing to maintain their headcounts at status quo.

Shipping & Logistics
The majority of companies (70%) in the Shipping & Logistics industry intend to freeze hiring while just 30% plan to hire

Industrial Manufacturing & Engineering
Most of the companies (72%) in the Industrial Manufacturing & Engineering industry will also be implementing a hiring freeze. Only 28% of them will be increasing their workforce.

Oil & Gas
In the Oil & Gas sector, more companies (70%) will not be hiring for the rest of the year while the remaining 30% will.

Profession al Services
34% are planning to hire while 62% will be undergoing a hiring freeze. 4% of companies in this sector intend to reduce the number of employees on their payroll.

Propert y & Construction
Over half of those surveyed (62%) said they would not be hiring, with 38% planning to expand their workforce.