According to the survey, 32 percent expect a “modest number” of staff cutbacks and 3 percent expect “significant” cutbacks.

“Layoffs had already begun to decline during 2011, a development most employers saw coming a year ago and which was reflected in our 2010 trends survey,” says Bram Lowsky, Executive Vice President of Right Management. “A year ago 52 percent of employers predicted virtually no restructurings in 2011. Nevertheless, lean staffing is now the norm at most organizations and there’s little or anything left to cut.”

Asked about expected hiring in 2012, respondents were slightly optimistic, observes Lowsky. “In the latest findings one-in-five employers predicts stepped-up hiring in order to drive strategic growth. The majority, 58 percent, predicted just nominal hiring on an as needed basis and 21 percent predict more hiring in order to fill existing gaps in the organization.”

According to Lowsky, organizational staffing trends will mirror overall U.S. economic trends: “We’ll see employers push growth, but with fewer resources, trying to make do with what they have. This will continue to be a pressurized workplace, and management has to take into account the stress all this creates. Organizations will need to be effective with their talent strategies to nurture employee engagement, productivity and performance with their streamlined workforces.”