Job seekers can expect a slower fourth-quarter hiring pace in the majority of the world's labor markets, says a recent survey on Manpower Employment Outlook released by Manpower Inc.

While more subdued employer hiring forecasts continue to reflect current economic challenges and uncertainty, reports from employers in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Germany and Sweden indicate that hiring in many markets is expected to be steady in the next three months, the company says in a statement.

"The recent downturn is weighing on the minds of employers. They are not conducting widespread layoffs across all industry sectors, which is encouraging; yet, we are not seeing much appetite to add staff either," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc.

"Some key markets, such as the U.S., U.K. and Spain are clearly struggling to gain traction in the current downturn, while others, such as France and Germany, appear to be holding their own. In the coming months we will continue to see employers around the globe making do with the people they have, finding ways to contain costs and being very cautious about hiring decisions," Joerres says in the statement.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is the most extensive, forward-looking employment survey in the world with interviews of nearly 55,000 employers each quarter.

The survey data reveals that the most favorable fourth-quarter hiring plans globally are reported by employers in India, Costa Rica, Peru, Singapore, Taiwan, Colombia, Romania, Poland, Argentina, Australia and South Africa. Conversely, employers in Spain, Ireland and Italy are reporting the weakest and only negative hiring expectations for the quarter ahead.

It would appear that the growing pessimism seen in the U.S. market over the past two quarters has moved eastward into Asia Pacific as employers in the region have become notably more conservative in their hiring plans.

While outlooks remain positive, employers across all of the eight countries and territories surveyed expect to pull back on hiring from the third quarter. On the other hand, compared to one year ago, the pace of hiring is expected to improve in India and Taiwan, and remain relatively stable in China.