Employers in the metropolitan Milwaukee area expect to hire at a vigorous pace in the third quarter, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.
From July to September, 26 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 5 percent expect to reduce staff, for Net Employment Outlook of 21 percent.
Another 68 percent expect to maintain their current workforce levels and 1 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.
“Employers’ hiring expectations for Quarter 3 2013 are slightly stronger compared to Quarter 2 2013 when the Net Employment Outlook was 18 percent,” said Manpower spokesperson Nicole Langley.
For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Construction, Durable Goods Manufacturing, Nondurable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Financial Activities, Professional & Business Services, Education & Health Services, Leisure & Hospitality and Government.
Employers in Transportation & Utilities and Other Services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Information is expected to remain unchanged.
Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 22 percent expect to add to their workforces, and 6 percent expect a decline in their payrolls during Quarter 3 2013. Seventy percent of employers anticipate making no change to staff levels, and the remaining 2 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring plans.
When seasonal variations are removed from the data, the national Net Employment Outlook is +12 percent, stable compared with the second quarter Outlook of +11 percent.
“Continued uncertainty plays a critical role in hiring decisions, and employers are forced to function in a fast-moving business environment where local and global events impact employment strategies more than ever before,” said Jonas Prising, president of Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup. “These new market conditions require employers to think differently about workforce models and the talent they need for business success. Many economic indicators pointed toward measured optimism during the first half of the year, and our third quarter data show a rise in hiring intentions that demonstrates improved demand for products and services.”
Prising added, “The slow and steady improvements we’ve seen quarter over quarter have formed a launch pad for continued progress. Positive hiring intentions are critical for economic growth, but having the right talent available to fill open positions is the other side of the coin. Without a qualified pool of candidates ready for employment, economic growth may be hampered as businesses aren’t able to meet increased demand due to unfilled positions. Through increased collaboration between educators, government and the private sector, we can shrink the talent mismatch and build upon our current momentum.”
