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ManpowerGroup survey: US Q2 hiring to maintain pace

March 10, 2015

US employers expect to increase hiring in the second quarter, according to the second-quarter 2015 Manpower employment outlook survey released today by ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN).

Among US employers surveyed, 22% expect an increase in staff levels and 4% expect to reduce workforce levels during the second quarter of 2015. And 72% of employers anticipate making no change to staff levels while the remaining 2% are undecided about second-quarter hiring plans. This results in a net employment outlook of 16% on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from the first-quarter’s net employment outlook and up three percentage points from last year’s second quarter outlook.

“For some time, US employers have been experiencing incremental increases in demand for goods and services despite ongoing uncertainty in global economies,” said ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising. “Although growth remains modest, employers believe it is sustainable, and that confidence is reflected in their hiring plans. We're seeing the rising tide of the economy extend broadly across geographies and sectors, which is positively impacting the labor market.”

Employers in Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska and Oregon indicated the strongest net employment outlooks while West Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Jersey and Louisiana project the weakest outlooks.

All 13 industry sectors reported a net positive outlook. The industries with the highest seasonally adjusted net employment outlooks are leisure and hospitality at 26%; wholesale and retail trade at 21%; professional and business services at 19%; and transportation and utilities at 18%. The worst industries for hiring include mining at 9% and “other services” and manufacturing-durable goods, both at 11%.

The second-quarter research shows quarter-over-quarter consistency in hiring plans for three out of four U.S. regions: the Northeast, Midwest and West. In the South, hiring intentions decline slightly. Compared with a year ago, staffing plans have improved across all four regions. Net employment outlooks, seasonally adjusted, for the second quarter include:

  • Midwest — 16%
  • South — 16%
  • West — 18%
  • Northeast —14%

ManpowerGroup’s employment outlook survey includes responses from more than 18,000 US employers.

Canada hiring trends

Canadian employers project a modest hiring climate for the second quarter. In Canada, 18% of employers expect to increase staffing levels, 5% anticipate a decrease, 75% forecast no change and 2% are unsure about hiring plans. This results in a net employment outlook of 10% on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from the first quarter outlook but a one percentage point increase compared to the outlook in the second quarter of 2014.

Employers in the finance, insurance and real estate sector reported the strongest job prospects, with a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 19% for the second quarter.

“The provinces of Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island saw a rise in employment in January, and the nation’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in over five years,” said Michelle Dunnill, Manpower area manager for Toronto, Mississauga and Markham. “However, while the Outlook for Canada is cautiously optimistic, we cannot ignore the obvious concerns over the plunging oil prices and the Canadian dollar’s decrease in value, not to mention that youth unemployment is still nearly double the national average.”

ManpowerGroup’s employment outlook survey includes responses from more than 1,900 Canadian employers.