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ManpowerGroup survey: US Q3 2014 hiring trends up

June 10, 2014

U.S. employers expect to increase hiring in the third quarter, according to the third-quarter 2014 Manpower employment outlook survey released today by ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN). This is the strongest net employment outlook since the second quarter of 2008, and anticipated staff reductions remain among the lowest in survey history.

Among U.S. employers surveyed, 22 percent expect to add to their workforces and only 4 percent expect a decline in payrolls during the third quarter of 2014. Seventy-one percent of employers anticipate making no change to staff levels and the remaining three percent are undecided about third-quarter hiring plans. This results in a net employment outlook of 14 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, an increase from the second-quarter’s net employment outlook of 13 percent and the strongest outlook since the second quarter of 2008, when the employment outlook was also 14 percent. The outlook is up two percentage points from last year’s third quarter.

U.S. employers have now conveyed a positive outlook for 19 consecutive quarters.

“We're seeing a measured level of improvement across all labor segments that has been building over the last five years,” said ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising. “While dramatic jumps in hiring are uncommon, we continue to see a slow, yet steady, increase in demand for talent from our clients as they take a holistic approach in rebuilding their employee base.”

Employers in North Dakota, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska and Idaho indicated the strongest net employment outlooks, while New Mexico, Mississippi, Kansas, Nevada, Illinois and Florida project the weakest outlooks. 

All 13 industry sectors reported a net positive outlook. The best industries for hiring are leisure and hospitality at 23 percent; mining at 20 percent; wholesale and retail trade at 18 percent; and professional and business services at 16 percent. The worst industry for hiring was “other services” at 8 percent, followed by information and nondurable goods manufacturing, both at 9 percent.

Quarter over quarter, employers in all four regions anticipate hiring to remain relatively stable. Employers in the Midwest and West expect a relatively stable hiring environment, while employers in the Northeast and South project a slight increase in the hiring pace for the third quarter.

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

Canada hiring trends

Canadian employers report upbeat hiring intentions for the third quarter. In Canada, 20 percent of employers expect to increase staffing levels, 4 percent anticipate a decrease and 74 percent forecast no change. This results in a net employment outlook of 10 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.

This follows an outlook of 9 percent in the second quarter, as well as 9 percent in the third quarter of 2013.