The Hays Salary Guide has claimed that nearly 33% of employers expect to hike salaries by between 3 and 6%, in their next review. However, a third also expects to introduce a rise in the number of permanent employees.

"There are clear indications that employers expect the market to improve further in the second half of 2010, which has also improved recruitment intentions", Hays New Zealand Managing Director, Jason Walker, quoted.

It outlines that 47% of employers bear a belief that the economy will improve in the coming six to 12 months as against a mere 5%, recorded last year.

Considering the mining and resources sector, 80% of employers in this sector are expecting to witness a salary hike of between 3% and 6%.

While, in professional services, 47% of employers expected a salary hike by between 3 and 6%, followed by information technology and telecommunications where 42% bear expectations to see increase salaries by between 3 and 6%.

In addition, it highlights that 33% of employers expected to boost their permanent headcount, up from 21% last year.

A breakdown depicted that 50% of sales departments foresee a rise in their headcount, while, engineering on 46%, followed by operations on 41% and information technology on 35%.