Hiring Outlook Still Positive

Job growth continues at a modest and gradual pace. It should be growing faster, but there’s uncertainty over the costs of the Affordable Care Act. Since 2008, it’s put a damper on hiring and will continue to be a drag until fully implemented.

Several surveys of businesses can give you an indication of hiring prospects in the coming months. One of my favorites is the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. Manpower interviewed more than 18,000 U.S. employers to measure their hiring intentions between July and September 2013.

Here are some highlights of the third-quarter survey:

• 22 percent expect to add workers during the quarter,
• 6 percent expect a decline in their workforce and
• 70 percent anticipate making no change.

Hiring expectations in the United States vary among the different sectors of the economy. Here is a list of U.S. industries ranked by their enthusiasm for hiring from July to September.

This survey indicates that U.S. employment will continue to expand in third quarter 2013. The enthusiasm to hire is spread broadly across most sectors of the economy. The weakest components are government and education/health services.

source: Texas Real Estate Center