Twenty-three percent of employers surveyed plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2012, according to CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast. The percentage of employers planning to hire is relatively unchanged from 24 percent for 2011 and up from 20 percent for 2010. 

Seven percent of employers expect to decrease headcount, the same percentage as did for 2011, and an improvement from 9 percent for 2010.

Fifty-nine percent anticipate no change in their staff levels. Eleven percent are unsure whether there will be change.

The survey also charted four trends to watch in 2012:

Compensation getting more competitive for skilled positions

Sixty-two percent of employers plan to increase compensation for their existing employee base while 32 percent will offer higher starting salaries for new employees. The greatest increases in compensation at organizations in 2012 are those tied to revenue generation, including sales, information technology, engineering and business development.

Voluntary turnover on the rise

Thirty-four percent of human resource managers reported that voluntary turnover at their organizations rose in 2011. Employers pointed to the desire for higher compensation and feeling over-worked as the top two reasons employees gave for resigning.

Employers bridging the skills gap by training

There is an increasing number of areas where demand for skilled positions is growing much faster than supply. Thirty-eight percent plan to train people who don’t have experience in their particular industry and hire them for positions within their organizations in 2012.

Employers targeting Hispanic workers, African American workers and women

Twenty-nine percent of employers said they will be diversity-focused when recruiting in an effort to expand their employee demographics. Twenty percent will be recruiting Hispanics and African Americans to work for their organizations while the same percentage will be recruiting more women. Forty-four percent plan to hire bilingual workers in 2012. 

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 3,023 hiring managers and human resource professionals between Nov. 9, 2011, and Dec. 5, 2011.