U.S. employers expect the hiring pace to remain positive in Quarter 3 2017 with one in four employers (24%) planning to add staff between July and September, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. Of the 11,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 70% expect to keep their workforce intact through the next 3 months and just 4% expect workforce reductions.
Taking seasonal variations into account, the Net Employment Outlook* for Q3 2017 is +17%, which marks the 12th consecutive quarter with an Outlook of +15% or stronger. Nationwide hiring prospects improve by 2 percentage points when compared to 1 year ago.
“Employers across the country are optimistic but don’t want to get ahead of themselves. In most sectors, employers report relatively stable hiring plans with some upticks—most notably in durable goods manufacturing, here there are the strongest hiring intentions in more than nine years,” said Michael Stull, Senior Vice President, Manpower North America—in a press release of the findings. “Technological disruption is rapidly changing skills needs, especially in manufacturing as the marketplace transitions from typical labor to more advanced roles. To keep up, we’re seeing employers increasingly invest in training and development programs so people can learn while they earn. We’re focused on building programs to help workers get the skills they need for tomorrow while staying employable today.”
U.S. Hiring Plans by Regions, Industry Sectors and Metro Areas/States
- Employers in all four regions in the U.S. have a positive outlook for their Q3 2017 hiring plans. When compared with the previous quarter, hiring intentions remain relatively stable in both the Midwest and the northeast, while employers report no change in both the South and the West. Compared with this time 1 year ago, hiring prospects are slightly stronger in the Midwest and remain relatively stable in the South and West. Employers in the Northeast report no change year-over-year.
- Nationwide, employers in all 13 industry sectors expect to add staff in Q3 2017. Industries reporting the strongest second quarter hiring intentions are: Leisure & Hospitality (+25%), Transportation & Utilities (+22%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+21%), Mining (+18%) and Professional & Business Services (+18%).
- For the coming quarter, employers in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, and Rhode Island report the strongest Net Employment Outlooks. Of the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, the strongest job prospects are expected in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Raleigh, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Des Moines, Iowa.
Complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey are available for download at www.manpowergroup.us/meos .
*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.