2008 holds mixed bag for Q-C employers
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By Doug Schorpp | Monday, December 17, 2007 |
Iowa Quad-City area employers expect to hire at a moderate pace during the first quarter of 2008 while hiring on the Illinois side is projected to be much stronger, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released Monday.
From January to March, 17 percent of the companies interviewed in the Iowa Quad-Cities plan to hire more employees, while 7 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, a net of 10 percent, said Manpower spokesperson Kim Saskowski of the Moline office. Another 26 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels and 50 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.
“Area employers appear to be significantly decreasing hiring levels when compared with the fourth quarter,” she said. “For the fourth quarter of 2007, 37 percent of companies interviewed intended to add employees, and 3 percent planned to reduce staff levels. Employers expect slightly less hiring activity as compared to one year ago, when 13 percent of companies surveyed planned to raise staff levels and none expected to trim payrolls.”
For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in non-durable goods manufacturing, education and services. Employers in durable goods manufacturing plan to reduce staffing levels, while those in wholesale/retail trade voice mixed hiring intentions. Hiring in construction is expected to remain unchanged. Employers in transportation/public utilities, finance/insurance/real estate and public administration are unsure of their staffing plans.
In the Illinois Quad-Cities, from January to March, 37 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire additional employees, while 17 percent expect to reduce payrolls, a net gain of 20 percent, Saskowski said. Another 33 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels and 13 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.
“For the fourth quarter of 2007, 13 percent of companies interviewed intended to add employees, and 3 percent planned to reduce staff levels,” she said. “Employers expect more hiring activity as compared to one year ago, when 13 percent of companies surveyed planned to raise staff levels and 7 percent expected to trim payrolls.”
After seasonal adjustments have been applied to the survey results, U.S. employers foresee a solid start to 2008 and expect to maintain a steady hiring pace. Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 22 percent expect to add to their payrolls during the first quarter of 2008, while 12 percent expect to reduce staff levels. Sixty percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6 percent are undecided about their January to March hiring plans.
“Nationally, we are seeing things as being very stable,” said Manpower corporate spokesman Paul Holley. “I think the Quad-Cities is a good example. Employers indicate they would like to hire people, but available skills are just not there. That is a common thread throughout the country. I think employers are still hiring, still approaching things with cautious.”
Doug Schorpp can be contacted at (563) 383-2292 or dschorpp@qctimes.com.
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