UK firms plan to add staff over next 12 months The survey of 300 firms, employing over 1.4 million people between them, showed that 35 percent of employers expect staffing levels to rise over the next 12 months, while 15 percent see it shrinking, the CBI said. "Businesses look set to continue with the positive but cautious approach to hiring that we've seen over the past couple of years, and this is echoed in expected pay restraint designed to protect employment," she said. How a shrinking economy can create new jobs has been the biggest puzzle for economists and central bankers, though many have pointed out that wages increases have lagged inflation. The CBI survey showed that employers expected this trend to continue. 36 percent of firms planned wage rises either below-inflation or targeted at specific employees. 16 percent of firms were planning a pay freeze.