Businesses are reporting a positive outlook for the job market in the first quarter of 2019, according to a hiring trends survey released today by Express Employment Professionals.

The survey found 53% of respondents expect the job market to stay the same in the first quarter, 38% see it trending upward and only 9% see it trending down.

Businesses predicted a similar outlook in a year-ago survey for the first quarter of 2018, with 49% saying the job market would stay the same, 42% saying it would trend up and 9% saying it would trend down.

The survey results also queried which professions can expect to see hiring in the first quarter of 2019. It asked respondents, “Do you plan to hire any positions in the following segment in the first quarter?” Responses include:

• General labor (industrial): 32%
• None: 30%
• Skilled labor (industrial): 27%
• Administrative/office clerical: 19%
• Other: 17%
• Accounting and finance: 10%
• Engineering: 8%
• Information technology: 8%
• Marketing: 8%
• Healthcare: 3%

The survey of 445 businesses, which are current and former clients of Express Employment Professionals, was conducted in December 2018 to gauge respondents’ expectations for the first quarter of 2019.