Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/994757
Robust hiring in 3Q forecast for state companies By KATHERINE MICHALETS Conley News Service WAUKESHA — Even as companies struggle to find employees to fill open posi- tions, a recent survey by the ManpowerGroup indicates employers across the country, but especially here in Wisconsin, plan to hire exten- sively during the third quar- ter. In fact, ManpowerGroup said that the Milwaukee- Waukesha-West Allis area will see some of the strongest numbers in the country. From July to September, 32 percent of the companies interviewed nationally plan to hire more employees, while 2 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to the M a n p o w e r - G r o u p Employment Outlook Survey. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they plan to maintain their workforce lev- els and 2 percent are unsure about their hiring plans. "Hiring intentions are stronger compared to Q2 2018 when the Net Employment Outlook was 30 percent," said ManpowerGroup spokes- woman Amber Laurent. "The hiring pace is expected to pick up compared to one year ago when the Net Employment Outlook was 22 percent." For the Milwaukee- Waukesha-West Allis area, 35 percent of employers sur- veyed said they intend to hire more employees from July through September. Only 2 percent of employers are expecting to reduce payroll and 61 percent plan to main- tain staffing levels during the period, according to the sur- vey. "Employers in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI MSA anticipate a stronger hiring pace com- pared to Q2 2018 when the Net Employment Outlook was 28 percent," Laurent said in a statement. "At this time last year, employers expected less hiring activity when the Outlook was 20 percent." Across the nation Wisconsin is not the outlier. Across the nation, in all regions and states, employers are planning to add staff dur- ing the next three months. Overall, the expectation is about 18 percent of employers nationally will hire during the third quarter. In total, the sur- vey gathered results from 11,000 employers. The survey said "employ- ers across all 13 industry sec- tors report optimistic hiring intentions especially in Leisure & Hospitality (27 per- cent), Transportation & Utilities (22 percent) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (22 percent), amid rising con- sumer confidence and demand fueled job growth in online retail." Growth in Wholesale & Retail Trade is driving demand in Transportation as the need for distribution work- ers grows. "We continue to see double- digit hiring Outlooks across the country, including all four regions of the country, all 13 sectors of the economy and all of the 100 largest MSAs," said Becky Frankiewicz, president of ManpowerGroup North America, in a statement. "As the U.S. labor market edges closer to full capacity, we're seeing rising demand for skilled workers especially in construction and retail dis- tribution." In Wisconsin, the best job prospects will be in construc- tion, durable goods manufac- turing, nondurable goods manufacturing, transporta- tion and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, information, financial activities, profes- sional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and government. BUSINESS 6 • Milwaukee County Post • June 15, 2018