Wellington, Aug 25 NZPA - A large majority of employers in this country and Australia feel they had to make too many redundancies during the economic downturn, recruitment firm Hudson says.

A survey of 605 employers and 1690 employees -- 21 percent from New Zealand -- found 80 percent of employers were actively focused on growth, and 84 percent felt they had needed to make too many redundancies.

"There is definitely cautious optimism in the New Zealand marketplace, especially considering the mood recorded only one year ago," Hudson New Zealand general manager Marc Burrage said.

"But despite this, the fact remains that many employers experienced minimal growth, in some cases decline, throughout the last 12 months."

The survey found 53 percent of employers surveyed reported that during the downturn some scheduled business development or plans were put on hold, 51 percent said their profit or revenue was down, and 38 percent had downgraded their profit outlook.

"Employers desperately need to bolster not only the size, but also the strength of their teams to bring their businesses back to a place where they can compete effectively in their markets and establish a solid foundation for sustainable, long-term growth," Mr Burrage said.

Among employees, 62 percent reported they were actively or passively job seeking. Of those, 93 percent were planning to be in a new role within 18 months.