According to Manpower, Indian employers have reported the most optimistic hiring intentions among the 41 countries and territories where its survey is conducted.

In stark contrast to the fears of economic slowdown hurting the country’s labour market, two separate job market surveys on Tuesday suggested an improving employment scenario and predicted robust hiring activities for the new year, which could be the best in the world.

Painting an optimistic picture, global HR firm Manpower said in its quarterly job market report that Indian employers are the most bullish globally when it comes to hiring, with robust recruitment plans for the next three months, the first quarter of the new year 2012.

In a separate monthly report, job portal Naukri.com said that hiring activities surged in November across all sectors.

Against the backdrop of contraction in industrial output and gloomy economic growth prospects, concerns are rising that such situation could seriously hurt employment in the country.

According to Manpower, Indian employers have reported the most optimistic hiring intentions among the 41 countries and territories where its survey is conducted.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey revealed the outlook has improved in six out of seven industry sectors for the March 2012 quarter, compared to previous three months.

As per the report, the services sector (+49 per cent) and mining and construction sector (+47 per cent) present the brightest hiring opportunities for job seekers in the next three months.

Meanwhile, the monthly Naukri Job Speak index,an indicator of online job demand, showed that hiring activities moved up across all sectors last month from the levels seen in October, signalling a “seasonal spike”.

Expressing concerns over declining industrial output, industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) yesterday said that any further contraction “would have serious consequences on employment and livelihoods.”

Industrial output contracted 5.1 per cent in October, the highest decline in more than two years, mainly due to steep decline in production in manufacturing, mining and capital goods sectors.

The government also recently lowered its GDP growth forecast for the current year to 7-7.5 per cent, from 9 per cent previously, fuelling concerns about a slowdown in economic expansion and the subsequent impact on job market. (PTI)

Want to shed the flab? Go to work on an egg – It’s the best way to start the day, a new study has claimed.

For decades, it was feared eggs caused high blood pressure and raised cholesterol. Now, researchers at Surrey University have found that eating eggs for breakfast can help slash the calories eaten at lunch and dinner.

Eggs keep one fuller for longer compared with other common breakfast foods, and are also better for people who want to resist afternoon snacks on biscuits, cake or chocolate, according to the researchers.

Prof Bruce Griffin, who led the study, said: “This study provides yet more evidence that eating eggs at breakfast can help keep us feeling fuller for longer and may help people to eat less at subsequent meals, thus helping with weight loss.”

The study tested three typical breakfasts with the same level of calories, eggs on toast, cornflakes with milk and toast, or a croissant and orange juice. Adding to the growing body of evidence to support eggs as a key ingredient of weight-loss diets, the researchers found volunteers felt fuller for longer and had a lower desire to eat after the egg breakfast compared with the other ones.

The egg breakfast also led to a significantly lower intake of energy at lunch and evening meals compared with the other common breakfasts, the Daily Express reported.

Previous US research found that when women were given either an egg or bagel-based breakfast of equal calories, the egg-eating volunteers felt fuller and had less desire to eat other foods for the next 24 hours.

Another study published last year compared a three-egg breakfast and a low-fat bagel one in a group of men. It found their response to ghrelin, the only hormone known to stimulate hunger, was suppressed. (PTI)