Survey takers were recently asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the [next] three months to the end of September 2018 compared to the current quarter?” For those looking for new talent, you can join the 24% of employers that are also looking to hire new talent in the third quarter.
According to the ManpowerGroup Q3 2018 Hiring Forecast, 24% of respondents plan on increasing their staffing levels—on par with this time last year. While a small fraction plan on increasing their workforce, 71% of respondents say their companies anticipate no change in staffing levels for Q3, and only 3% plan on decreasing their staffing levels.
Hiring by Industry
The leisure and hospitality industry is expected to see the most new hires in the third quarter, with 38% of respondents indicating this is the industry they’re hiring in. Other industries that plan on increasing workforce numbers include: construction (28%), transportation and utilities (28%), wholesale and retail trade (27%), and professional and business services (26%).
According to ManpowerGroup, employers in the mining industry report the strongest hiring pace in more than 3 years—the outlook for this sector improves moderately when compared with the second quarter of 2018. However, the education and health services industry reports the weakest hiring intentions for Q3 compared to last quarter.
Hiring by Region
Employers in the Midwest report having the strongest hiring intentions, with 25% of respondents indicating that they plan on increasing their staffing levels. Only 2% of Midwest employers indicate that they plan on decreasing staffing levels. The leisure and hospitality industry in the Midwest reports the strongest hiring intentions, with 49% of respondents saying they are hiring in this area.
For the Northeast, 23% of employers plan on increasing their staffing levels, and 3% plan on decreasing them. However, compared to the second quarter of 2018, hiring in the Northeast is moderately weaker. The leisure and hospitality industry in this region also reports strong hiring intentions, according to 39% of respondents.
In the South, 24% of respondents say they plan on increasing staffing levels, while 3% say they plan to decrease them. If you’re sensing a theme here, you can guess which industry reports the best hiring intentions. The leisure and hospitality industry in the South reports strong hiring intentions, according to 38% of respondents.
For 24% of employers in the West, they, too, plan on increasing their workforce, but 4% plan to decrease their numbers. Unlike the other regions, the leisure and hospitality industry isn’t the top industry that is hiring. That honor is a two-way tie between the transportation and utilities industry (33%) and the construction industry (33%).
The infographic below highlights more findings from the Q3 Hiring Forecast; for more information, or to view the global findings, click here.