New York, NY, Jun. 15--About 30% of U.S. employers expect to add workers to their payrolls in the third quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
This optimistic result comes one year after the same survey reported its worst hiring forecast in 12 years. The third-quarter employment outlook is nearly identical to the second quarter. Of the nearly 16,000 U.S. employers polled, 6% expected to decrease their payrolls; 59% expected no change and 5% didn't know.
The improved response from employers reflected in the survey indicates an increasing recovery from the so-called hiring slump.
"In our second-quarter survey, U.S. employers reported the strongest employment outlook since early 2001. The fact that employers expect to hire at the same pace in the third quarter suggests that they continue to feel confident about the sustainability of demand for their products and services. This is good news for job seekers across the country," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman & CEO of Manpower Inc.
But the key question is whether it can last. "When it comes to hiring, we are clearly in a phase of recovery," said Mr. Joerres. "If we are to look at history, there is no reason this shouldn't continue for several quarters."
Whereas employers in seven of the ten sectors of the economy surveyed intend to increase hiring activity from the second quarter, the manufacturing sector has made an especially notable recovery since this time last year. The lack of new manufacturing jobs over the past years has often been seen as a missing component in healthy job growth. Now manufacturing is at parity with other industries.
Other strong job sectors include construction, wholesale and retail trade and the services, all showing at least 21% of employers intending to hire new workers. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the education sector showed the greatest improvement in hiring outlook, with 16% of employers expecting to hire, compared with 8% last quarter. Regionally, employers in the West are most optimistic in their hiring plans, but employers across the nation are unanimous in predicting an increase in their hiring pace compared with last year.
