Local hiring expectations below state, national averages

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, conducted from July through September, indicated that 27 percent of employers interviewed in the Springfield area plan to hire more employees in the third quarter, 3 percent plan to reduce their staff and 70 percent do not anticipate changes in staffing. Comparatively, 35 percent of employers statewide and 31 percent nationally plan to increase employment next quarter.

“Employers are also slightly more cautious about hiring than they were a year ago when 30 percent of companies surveyed thought employment increases were likely and 3 percent intended to cut back,” said Sharon Walker, spokesperson for Manpower, in a news release.

Of the employers interviewed statewide, 35 percent anticipated an increase in staffing, 5 percent planned a decrease in employees, 59 percent didn’t plan any changes in staff and 1 percent didn’t know if their payroll would experience changes in hiring patterns.

Nationwide, 31 percent expect an increase in third-quarter hiring, 6 percent anticipate a decrease in staffing, 57 percent foresee no change and 6 percent are unsure of staffing plans.

Job prospects for the third quarter appear best in construction, durable goods manufacturing, and wholesale/retail trade and education, the survey said. Employers in the services sector voiced mixed hiring intentions. Hiring is expected to remain unchanged in the areas of nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, finance/insurance/real estate, and public administration.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers’ intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their work forces during the next quarter, and has been conducted by the company for more than 40 years. The survey is based on interviews with nearly 16,000 public and private employers in 470 markets across the country.

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