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Survey: More Companies to Hire in 2Q
By MELISSA McCORD, Associated Press Writer
MILWAUKEE - People looking for work this spring could find
the strongest U.S. job market in more than three years, even as
companies remain reluctant to hire, a new survey shows.
Roughly one in four employers plan to add workers in the second
quarter of the year to keep pace with increased demand for their
products or services, according to a survey of 16,000 businesses
by Manpower Inc., set for release Tuesday.
"Someone looking for a job no doubt will have an easier time
now than in recent memory, than in the past two or three years,"
said Jeffrey Joerres, Manpower's chief executive officer and chairman.
"It's still going to be difficult in that companies are going
to begin this process very cautiously."
Substantial job growth will come if companies fulfill their hiring
projections for the quarter, he said.
The survey found 28 percent of companies expect to hire more people
in the second quarter, while 6 percent intend to cut jobs. The rest
anticipate no change or are uncertain about hiring prospects from
April to May.
The second-quarter results, when seasonally adjusted, are the strongest
since the first quarter of 2001, soon after the economy officially
entered a recession, according to Manpower, a Glendale, Wis.-based
staffing company.
The number of companies expecting to hire is nearly twice that of
a year ago and marks the third straight quarter of increased hiring
projections.
William Mezger, chief economist with the Virginia Employment Commission,
said companies cannot continue to rely on increased productivity
to satisfy increased demand.
"As time goes on ... employers eventually have got to do some
hiring," he said.
The nation has experienced slow employment growth even as the overall
economy has grown at a healthy rate. Economists say increased productivity
has allowed companies to do more with fewer people.
Last month the economy added just 21,000 jobs, according to the
Labor Department (news - web sites). That left the unemployment
rate stuck at 5.6 percent in February.
According to the Manpower survey, companies in all regions of the
country expect stronger job prospects in the second quarter. Employers
in the South expect the most activity, while the Northeast expects
the least.
All 10 industries surveyed, including hard-hit manufacturers, also
are more optimistic about hiring in the second quarter than they
were last quarter and a year ago.
Terry Ludeman, a labor economist with the Wisconsin Department of
Workforce Development, said he hasn't seen much increase in manufacturing
jobs in the Midwest but is moderately optimistic that could change.
"It's one of the industries that we've held our breath on,
because we're not seeing a terrific recovery," he said.
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