Hiring outlooks and expectations for workforce increases in the US remain high, with 81% of hiring managers expressing a positive outlook for their company’s hiring opportunities for the remainder of 2024, according to an Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey released today.

Sixty percent of hiring managers surveyed reported their companies plan to increase headcount in the second half of 2024, with 15% planning significant increases.

The survey noted that new business opportunities are driving company efforts for workforce increases, with 50% of hiring managers attributing these plans to the need to manage increased volumes of work and 44% to fill newly created positions.

Conversely, 32% of companies plan to maintain their current headcount or make no changes, while 6% plan to reduce their employee count, consistent with previous survey results.

Top reasons for reducing staff include:

• Cost reduction, 71%
• Increased use of automation/technology/AI, 25%
• Alignment with a decline in demand at the company, 25%

Among those planning to decrease or maintain their workforce, 33% cited budgetary constraints as the reason, stating that their company does not have enough money in the budget or cannot afford to hire. Additionally, 30% felt they did not need to hire more employees, and 22% reported waiting to see if the workload would stabilize before hiring additional staff.  

Industries with continued employment growth include healthcare, social assistance, leisure and hospitality, professional, scientific, technical services, retail and government.

“It’s encouraging to see so many companies optimistic about their hiring plans for the remainder of the year across diverse industries,” Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said in a press release. “With labor demands shifting from traditional roles, job seekers should research in-demand careers and begin the credentialing process now to stand out from the competition. It’s evident employers are looking to do more than just fill positions; they are looking for the right fit.”

Express’ poll of 1,003 US hiring decision-makers took place between May 16 and June 3.