Nationwide job outlook positive
Advertiser Staff and News Services
A recent Manpower Inc. quarterly survey of 16,000 firms nationwide forecasts an improvement in hiring. Nationwide, 27 percent of companies surveyed said they plan to add jobs in July through September, while 8 percent said they anticipated cutting staff.
The rest of the companies said they either expected to maintain their staffing levels or were uncertain about hiring activities.
Manpower surveys 16,000 firms nationwide. Below is the regional outlook for hiring in July through September:
NORTHEAST:
The summer will bring a higher degree of hiring activity not evident since mid-2001. Seven of 10 industries report significant progress. Particularly encouraging is the confidence portrayed in the manufacturing and the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, whose companies report the largest jump in projected employment growth from last quarter when seasonally adjusted. Of continuing concern is the education field, which records its first negative outlook in six years. The expectations of transportation and public utilities firms show a pattern of gradual declines unbroken for the past year.
MIDWEST:
Summer will bring an increased demand for workers, although the degree of job growth is tempered by the recession's lingering effects. Construction and wholesale and retail trades hold the top positions. When seasonal effects are factored out, nondurable goods manufacturing comes to the top, with the durable goods section not far behind. As in all other regions, educators remain pessimistic, while transportation and public utilities firms appear to be increasing their hiring plans. The public administration sector is making steady progress in regaining lost ground.
SOUTH:
The South barely surpasses other regions in job potential on a seasonally adjusted basis but has shown the most improvement from the outlook of three months ago. The nondurable goods manufacturing sector reports a substantial increase in hiring activity. Wholesale and retail trades foresee an increase in staffing following two mediocre quarters. Transportation and public utilities and services employees expect a healthy upturn in employment. The public administration sector reports a moderate level of anticipated job gains.
WEST:
The West is experiencing a renewal of confidence in its ability to generate jobs, but caution is still apparent. The overall outlook is marginally better than in some other regions. The durable goods manufacturing field, when seasonally adjusted, reflects a degree of optimism following negative reports for three of the last four quarters. The finance, insurance and real estate industry is predicting a healthy increase in employment potential this summer. Nondurable goods manufacturers continue to make headway in job formation. The public administration sector appears to be somewhat resistant to providing additional jobs.
HAWAI'I:
Job openings should increase in Hawai'i in the third quarter as the state continues to rebound from Sept. 11. Seven percent of Hawai'i companies responding plan to increase their staff in July, August and September. Most employers in the state, 86 percent, said they will keep current levels during that time. No employers said they plan to trim staff, though 7 percent said their plans are uncertain. That's an improvement from last quarter, when 7 percent said they would be cutting workers. The unemployment rate in Hawai'i was 4.3 percent in March, the most recent figures available. That was a 0.4 percentage point improvement from the 4.7 percent rate in February in Hawai'i and better than the national March unemployment rate of 6.1 percent.
Source: Manpower Inc.'s employment outlook survey
