New York, January 23 (FinanceEnquiry.com) - A survey has revealed that fewer U.S. companies are planning to boost hiring in early 2012 despite the likelihood of growth picking up in that period. The survey showed that only 27 percent of companies were seeking to add workers in the next six months, representing the lowest figure in five quarters. The National Association for Business Economics said today in Washington that 64 percent of employers were not planning to make any change in their employment.

An October survey estimated 16 percent of U.S. firms would grow more than 2 percent this year, however the new survey has put the figure at 65 percent. Moreover, although there is optimism in the growth of the economy, it is felt that there is a certain degree of uncertainty that is making the employers more cautious on increasing the hiring process.

It is also felt by economists that though the jobless rate improved due to the increased retail sales in the holiday season, employers are going steady on hiring due to concerns over Europe’s sovereign debt, swings in the price of oil and efforts to trim the U.S. deficit.

The percentage of employers which believe that employment will go up went down from 29 in October and 42 in January 2011, whereas eight percent said they would reduce payrolls down from 12 percent in the earlier study.