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Survey Reveals Continued Optimism in U.S. Hiring
MILWAUKEE -- U.S. employers continue to show optimism in their hiring plans moving into the third quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, conducted quarterly by Manpower Inc.Of the 16,000 U.S. employers that were surveyed, 30% expect to add to their payrolls in the third quarter, while 6% predict a decline in staff levels. Of employers surveyed 59% foresee no change in job prospects, and 5% are unsure of their hiring expectations. Without seasonal adjustments, the third quarter outlook is slightly more positive than the April to June period. With seasonal variations removed from the survey results, the employment outlook for the coming quarter is identical to second quarter and represents one of the largest year-over-year increases in the survey history."In our second quarter survey, U.S. employers reported the strongest employment outlook since early 2001. The fact that employers expect to hire at the same pace in the third quarter suggests that they continue to feel confident about the sustainability of demand for their products and services," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and chief executive officer of Manpower. "This is good news for job seekers across the country." The industry sectors surveyed include construction, durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, mining, services and wholesale/retail trade.Job prospects in the Northeast, Midwest and South are similar to those reported in the second quarter survey. The West is the only region where employers are more optimistic in their hiring plans than they were from April to June. Employers across the regions are unanimous in predicting a much healthier hiring pace than a year ago.Hiring activity for the third quarter is expected to increase in the majority of the world's labor markets compared to last year at this time. Employers in five countries -- Belgium, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Singapore and Spain -- reported their most optimistic hiring intentions since Manpower began surveying these countries a year ago."The third quarter survey data shows the strongest employment expectations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand," said Joerres. "Employers in many countries are echoing their intentions to hire just as optimistically as they did in our second quarter survey. This is a good sign. Compared with a year ago, hiring intentions have improved in 16 of 19 countries."The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers' intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their work force during the next quarter. It's conducted in a total of 19 countries and territories, and includes interviews with more than 35,000 employers.Visit Manpower at www.manpower.com"