Job growth expected to continue on same slow path

Hiring in the second half of 2010 will probably mirror the first half of the year, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder and USA Today. 

"The economic recovery has broadened, but employers remain guarded," said CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson in prepared remarks. "The survey indicates that we'll see sustainable new job growth through the remainder of the year, but it will be absent of any dramatic shifts." 

The poll shows one-in-five employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter of the year and 41 percent plan to hire in the months of July through December. These results are similar to hiring activity in the first two quarters of the year. 

As for salaries, 15 percent of employers reported instituting pay cuts in the last 12 months. Of them, 28 percent restored pay levels in the first half of the year and 18 percent plan to do so in the next six months. Twenty-nine percent were unsure if and when they would restore previous pay levels. 

The poll was conducted from May 18 to June 3 with more than 2,500 hiring managers and human resources professionals participating in the survey.