New York: Manpower Inc's 'employment outlook' survey, conducted across 27 countries, including the major economies, says India is among the few countries in the world where employers are optimistic of making new recruitments during this financial year's second quarter.

However, the survey, which gathered data from 50,000 employers worldwide, says though employment prospects in India are better than in many other countries, it will be weaker than in 2006.

In the US in contrast employers are expected to restrain their hiring during the second quarter, the survey shows. Jeffrey A Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc, said that the last three quarters of survey data suggests that employers "are shifting into neutral (in the United States) when it comes to hiring."

The other countries where the prospects are positive are Japan, Singapore, Peru, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

Of the countries surveyed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, job prospects are strongest in South Africa, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway and the UK, while French employers reported the weakest hiring growth expectations.

Hiring projections for the eight countries included in the survey across the Asia Pacific region are mixed, with a weaker job market ahead for Taiwan and Hong Kong compared to last year.

On the other hand, seasonally adjusted data reveals that demand for employees is heating up in Singapore and Australia.

Among the six countries surveyed in the Americas, employers in Mexico, Peru and Argentina are the most optimistic about adding to their workforce. The hiring pace is expected to be slightly weaker than last year in Canada and the US, the survey adds.

Of the 14,000 US employers surveyed, 28 per cent expect to increase payrolls during the second quarter of 2007, while 7 per cent expect to trim staff levels and 59 per cent want no change in the hiring pace.

Another 6 per cent are undecided about their hiring plans. Overall, employers in the US are more likely to maintain or reduce their staffing activity this year, it added.

Expectations across sectors showed that transportation, public utilities and finance, insurance, real estate hiring managers foresee improved job prospects during the spring months.

In contrast, mining, construction, wholesale, retail trade and services employers are less confident about hiring than they were in the first quarter.

Jonas Prising, president, Manpower North America, said during last year, hiring intentions among construction employers steadily declined to early 2004 levels, to the extent that second quarter results were among the weakest of the 10 industry sectors.