Survey Shows Hiring Plans Inching Higher

Milwaukee, WI, March 11, 2010--A net 5% of employers said they expect to hire in the second quarter, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released Tuesday.

In the first quarter, a net 6% of firms said they expect to add to their workforce, up from -2% in the prior three quarters.

"We continue to remain cautiously optimistic," said Melanie Holmes, vice president of world of work solutions at Manpower.

"For those who are currently unemployed and looking for work, we anticipate that U.S. employers are inching ahead. We are heading into the right direction, but the labor market will really take some time before it begins to accelerate."

The Manpower data does not measure the number of jobs; it measures the portion of firms planning to hire minus those intending layoffs.

"We are anticipating that more employers will add than decrease, but we don't know how many jobs that means," Holmes said.

However, hiring plans are at a lower level than normal in a strong economy. In a good economy, the usual net employment outlook is in the low 20s.

Still, the employment outlook for 12 of 13 industry sectors is better in the second quarter than in the first quarter.