Peoria area employers expect to hire at a strong pace during the third quarter of 2008, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
From July to September, 27 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while three percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Doug Orear. Another 70 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels.
“Employer sentiment about hiring appears to be more encouraging than in the second quarter of 2008 when 17 percent of companies interviewed intended to add employees, and 10 percent planned to reduce staff levels,” said Orear. “Hiring activity is expected to be stronger than one year ago when 23 percent of companies surveyed planned to increase staff levels and 10 percent expected to cut payrolls.”
For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in construction, wholesale/retail trade, services and public administration. Employers in durable goods manufacturing voice mixed hiring intentions. Hiring in non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, finance/insurance/real estate and education is expected to remain unchanged.
Nationally, U.S. employers are projecting a slight decline in hiring for Quarter 3 2008, according to the seasonally adjusted survey results. Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 26 percent expect to increase their workforces during the July-September period, while 10 percent expect to scale back their payrolls for a net employment outlook of 16 percent (seasonally adjusted 12 percent). Fifty-eight percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and six percent are undecided about their hiring plans.
The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on September 9, 2008 to report the hiring expectations for Quarter 4 2008. IBI
