Job prospects good in 2011 ... for employers

[marmar]

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON — Companies planning to ramp up hiring this year will have an added luxury: their choice from a flood of applicants, without having to pay a premium for top talent.

Unemployment remains near double digits, and there are nearly five unemployed workers competing for each available job. That is giving employers more confidence, while at the same time enabling them to keep wages low.

The lack of opportunities over the past three years means it's risky for jobseekers to be choosy, particularly for those who have been out of work for more than six months. All that makes for a buyers' market, leaving hiring managers with little incentive to negotiate.

"They don't have to pay higher wages to get who they want," Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41026551/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy