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Nineteen percent of Chicago area employers survey by manpower plan to hire in the second quarter. (Antonio Perez/Tribune) |
Hiring prospects are expected to be much brighter for Chicago-area job hunters in the second quarter according to a forecast released Tuesday by staffing firm ManpowerGroup.
Nineteen percent of the Chicago-area companies said they plan to boost their head counts from April to June, up from 14 percent a year ago, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
That figure also is up from the first quarter, when 15 percent of employers surveyed expected to hire more employees.
At the same time, slightly more employers -- 8 percent -- expect to reduce staff levels, compared to 6 percent in the second quarter last year, according to the Milwaukee-based staffing firm. In the first quarter of this year, 12 percent of Chicago-area employers expected to trim their payrolls.
Overall, that creates an employment outlook that's more encouraging than it has been in recent months according to Manpower spokeswoman Anne Edmunds.
"The employment forecast for the second quarter is brighter compared to the first quarter of 2012," said Edmunds, adding, "Employers expect slightly stronger employment prospects compared with one year ago."
Manpower calculates its employment forecast by subtracting the percentage of employers expecting to fire workers from the percentage of those expecting to hire. From April to June, that figure is expected to be 11 percent. Last year, Chicago's forecast was 8 percent.
Manufacturing and financial services are driving the anticipated hiring pickup in Chicago, Edmunds said, pointing to Ford Motor Co.'s announced plans to hire more than 1,000. "The healthiness of the automotive industry ... It's a trickle down effect, there's growth in the Chicago market right now," said Edmunds.
Most employers -- 71 percent -- said they expected no changes to their current staffing levels from April to June, and 2 percent said they don't know their hiring plans, according to the survey.
Chicago's hiring prospects are slightly ahead of the national figures. Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed across the country, 18 percent expect to boost their workforces, while 6 percent expect to cut staff, according to the Manpower report.
crshropshire@tribune.com | Twitter: @corilyns
Nineteen percent of the Chicago-area companies said they plan to boost their head counts from April to June, up from 14 percent a year ago, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
That figure also is up from the first quarter, when 15 percent of employers surveyed expected to hire more employees.
At the same time, slightly more employers -- 8 percent -- expect to reduce staff levels, compared to 6 percent in the second quarter last year, according to the Milwaukee-based staffing firm. In the first quarter of this year, 12 percent of Chicago-area employers expected to trim their payrolls.
Overall, that creates an employment outlook that's more encouraging than it has been in recent months according to Manpower spokeswoman Anne Edmunds.
"The employment forecast for the second quarter is brighter compared to the first quarter of 2012," said Edmunds, adding, "Employers expect slightly stronger employment prospects compared with one year ago."
Manpower calculates its employment forecast by subtracting the percentage of employers expecting to fire workers from the percentage of those expecting to hire. From April to June, that figure is expected to be 11 percent. Last year, Chicago's forecast was 8 percent.
Manufacturing and financial services are driving the anticipated hiring pickup in Chicago, Edmunds said, pointing to Ford Motor Co.'s announced plans to hire more than 1,000. "The healthiness of the automotive industry ... It's a trickle down effect, there's growth in the Chicago market right now," said Edmunds.
Most employers -- 71 percent -- said they expected no changes to their current staffing levels from April to June, and 2 percent said they don't know their hiring plans, according to the survey.
Chicago's hiring prospects are slightly ahead of the national figures. Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed across the country, 18 percent expect to boost their workforces, while 6 percent expect to cut staff, according to the Manpower report.
crshropshire@tribune.com | Twitter: @corilyns