According to a Manpower survey released today, 26% of U.S. employers expect an increase in hiring in the second quarter, while only 6% expect a decrease.
The nationwide employee services company said that construction ranks as the most promising sector, since 42% of employers surveyed expect to hire, with only 4% expecting a decrease.
The durable goods manufacturing sector— a topic of political scrutiny as Democrats blame Bush for the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs since he took office— ranks third out of the ten employment sectors surveyed, with a net outlook of 23%. Nondurable goods manufacturing ranks fifth with an outlook of 20%.
On the construction side, Manpower states, “employers are more optimistic about hiring than they have been since the late 1970s,” based on the seasonally adjusted data. This marks the third consecutive quarter that a moderate hiring increase is anticipated, with strongest expectations in the South and weakest in the Midwest.
Durable goods manufacturing is showing its strongest hiring intentions since the first quarter of 2001, with a moderate increase in jobs over the first quarter of 2004. Most of the jobs are expected to be in the South, with the fewest in the Northeast.
Anticipated job creation for nondurable goods manufacturing is at its highest since the fourth quarter of 2000. Strongest hiring activity is expected in the Midwest, with the weakest expected in the Northeast.
This survey was released shortly after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported February that manufacturing job losses are leveling off, with only a 0.02% decrease in jobs since January. In the same period construction jobs took a 0.35% hit, but the decrease is attributed to seasonal and weather-related conditions. The drop followed a steady one-year increase.