A range of indices paint a somewhat positive picture of the year ahead.

Unemployment rate & Economy
The big news is unemployment rate dropped to 5.5% and the IMF forecasts the economy to register a growth rate of  2.5% in 2010, and 3% in 2011.  Read more...

Of course, these are hard times. The RBA has slashed interest rate to 3.00% (50 year low) and is on the verge of officially declaring recession in Australia.

Employers confidence has taken a beating. Hudson’s latest report revealed only 18.6% of employers intend to hire new staff, while a corresponding 17.8% will decrease headcount, resulting in a net effect of 0.8%. A similar report by Manpower also found employment outlook to be grim with only 17% of employers intending to increase headcount while 16% forecast a decrease.  Read more...