US recruitment plans are at their weakest levels since the 1982 recession when Argentina’s miltary government invaded the Falkland Islands and Adam Ant disbanded Adam and the Ants, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

While employers in 13 of 33 countries and territories expect some positive hiring activity in the coming quarter, employers in 23 countries and territories are reporting their weakest recruitment plans since the surveys were established there by Manpower.

Italian employers predict a slightly improved but still negative forecast. Employers in Singapore, New Zealand and Taiwan expect the deepest cuts to their payrolls compared to the previous quarter.

India has recorded more positive intentions than any other country, while employers in South Africa, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and Norway are reporting positive, but modest, second-quarter hiring activity.

Jeffrey A Joerres, chairman and chief executive of Manpower, says: “Hiring patterns in the US have declined to those seen during the recession of 1982, yet a significant number of employers surveyed anticipate no change in their employment intentions.

“This tells us that in this difficult economic environment, employers are struggling to manage the tension between generating a profit and maintaining their workforce infrastructure.”