04 August 2015 Confidence among Chinese jobseekers remains high, despite the China Institute for Employment Research (CIER) Index dipping to its lowest level in three quarters. The CIER Index increased relatively steadily, with significant seasonal fluctuations, between 2011 and 2014, reflecting the relative ease with which jobseekers in the Chinese labour market could find employment. The highest CIER Index score ever recorded was 2.46 during Q1 2015, despite the CIER index for February 2015 being the lowest during the first six months of 2015. During the second quarter the Index dropped back to 2.03; however it should be noted that a score of more than 1.0 indicates that jobseeker confidence is high. The Index rose by 18% between the second quarter of 2015 and the same period in 2014. Recruitment demand during the first half of the year, measured by the total number of job postings on job board Zhoapin, which co-published the study, increased by 19% compared with the same six-month period last year. The increase in recruitment demand across various sectors during the first half of 2015, compared with the same period last year, was as follows: The strongest performing sector during the second quarter of 2015 was Funds/Securities/Futures/Investment, which recorded a CIER Index score of 5.82, substantially above the 1.0 confidence threshold. Other sectors registering strong employment confidence, with jobseekers confident about securing employment, included: The lowest levels of confidence, where jobseekers are not at all confident of finding a job, included: Looking forward, monthly CIER index scores are expected to continue to rise throughout most of the second half of 2015, with the exception of October 2015, which will decrease due to seasonality. The predicted monthly CIER index scores for the following months are: 2.17 (July 2015), 2.60 (August 2015), 2.88 (September 2015), 2.76 (October 2015), 3.00 (November 2015) and 3.10 (December 2015).
Despite the China Institute for Employment Research (CIER) Index reaching its lowest level in three quarters, confidence among Chinese jobseekers remains high. The CIER appears to have some significant seasonal fluctuations, but has remained above 1.0 since the same period last year, indicating high job seeker confidence. Recruitment demand in 1H 2015 increased 19% compared to late 2012, with finance seeing the largest increase in recruitment demand, followed by IT/internet and commerce. Insurance and e-commerce also registered strong jobseeker confidence.