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1.: Employers' hiring plans turn positive for first time in a year: Manp From: Gary Wright - Wright Associates

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1.: Employers' hiring plans turn positive for first time in a year: Manp

Posted by: "Gary Wright - Wright Associates" gary_wright@verizon.net wrightassociates

Tue Dec 8, 2009 10:34 am (PST)

Dec. 8, 2009, 12:01 a.m. EST · Recommend · Post:

More firms say they plan to hire
Employers' hiring plans turn positive for first time in a year: Manpower
By Andrea Coombes, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- After hitting record lows in recent months,
employers' hiring plans turned positive for the first time in a year,
according to Manpower's Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter of
2010.

A net 6% of employers said they'll hire in the next three months, up from a
record low of -2% who said they'd hire from July through December, on a
seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Milwaukee-based firm's survey of
more than 28,000 employers.

Workers look to Chicago Spire for jobs
Construction workers in Chicago are trying to put together their own
stimulus package by helping to refinance and restart work on the Chicago
Spire. The twisting, 2,000-foot, Calatrava-designed residential tower would
be the tallest building in North America. WSJ's Joe Barrett joins the News
Hub to preview his piece for tomorrow's WSJ.

"Employers are looking into the first quarter with an increased degree of
optimism," said Jonas Prising, president of Manpower in the Americas.

"We see a moderate increase in their hiring plans for the first quarter
2010. This is the switch we've been waiting to see. [It's] very
encouraging," he said. "Mind you, there is still a lot of ground to make up
in the labor market but the overall increase in hiring is a positive sign
and is encouraging."

Hiring expectations are still below their levels of just one year ago. A net
9% of firms said they planned to hire in the first quarter of 2009, but
after that first quarter -- the Manpower survey for which is fielded in
October -- the figure plummeted, dropping to a net -1% for the second
quarter and -2% for the third and fourth quarters.

The financial meltdown gained momentum in October 2008, so the 9% figure for
2009's first quarter seems to show that the survey questions were asked
before employers responded to the crisis with layoffs.

Before this year's steep declines, the survey's previous low point was a net
1% hiring outlook for the third quarter of 1982. The survey started in 1962.

The job market improved in November, with job losses shrinking to their
lowest level in two years and the unemployment rate easing back to 10%,
according to the U.S. Labor Department. See Economic Report on unemployment
rate.

Majority not hiring or firing
A record 73% of employers plan no changes -- no hiring and no layoffs -- for
the first quarter, the highest percentage of firms to say they're not
budging in the history of the Manpower survey.

"They are not certain enough that what they are seeing is enough grounds for
them to start hiring, but they don't want to let people go," Prising said.
"Employers seem to be more intent than ever in maintaining their work forces
and preparing for the upturn.

"It will be interesting to see whether in the second-quarter outlook we will
see that stability being traded for a higher degree of hiring intentions,
which would then give us a path to more optimism and a better job market,"
he said.

Industry outlook
Ten out of the 13 industry sectors tracked by Manpower are more positive for
the first quarter than they were for the current fourth quarter, but hiring
plans for all of the industries are at much lower levels than are normal in
a strong economy. In a good economy, the usual net employment outlook is in
the low 20s.

Employers in seven of the 13 sectors had a net positive outlook (more firms
hiring than firing) for the upcoming first quarter, one sector had a net
zero outlook, and five sectors showed a negative outlook.

For each industry, here are the figures for the net employment outlook for
the first quarter, not seasonally adjusted, in order of most negative first.
(In January, Manpower changed its industry classifications; because of that
change, it currently can't provide seasonally adjusted figures by industry.)

Construction, -12%, down from -10% for the fourth quarter

Transportation and utilities, -6%, up from -9%

Government, -3%, up from -8%

Manufacturing, durable goods, -3%, up from -8%

Mining, -1%, up from -9%

Information, 0, up from -5%

Manufacturing, nondurable goods, 1%, up from -3%

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