Manpower Survey Finds U.S. Employers Will Continue Hiring

A third of U.S. employers show no signs of slowing their hiring pace in the second quarter of 2006, according to the latest quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 30 percent predict increased hiring for the second quarter of 2006, while 6 percent expect reducing payrolls. Fifty-eight percent report no change in hiring plans, and 6 percent haven’t made staffing decisions for the quarter.

While employers in most industry sector plan few changes in hiring, mining is experiencing its highest need for workers in the past 25 years fueled by a surge in demand for coal, according to the survey.

Hiring plans are also bright internationally. The survey found positive second-quarter hiring plans in 23 of 24 countries and territories surveyed. Japanese and German employers reported their most optimistic staffing plans since the survey began in these countries in the second quarter of 2003. Japan, India, Taiwan, Peru, New Zealand and Hong Kong reported the strongest overall second-quarter hiring plans. Italian employers reported a negative hiring outlook for the quarter.