U.S. employers expect to hire more employees from July through September 2002, according to a survey by Manpower, Inc.

A promising twenty-seven percent of the 16,000 companies surveyed, said they expect to add more employees in the third quarter. A reassuring fifty-nine percent indicated that they will maintain current workforce levels. Only eight percent intend to terminate employees, while the remaining six percent weren't sure which way they'd go.

In a prior Manpower survey for the second quarter of 2002, twenty-one percent of employers said they intended to hire more workers, while ten percent were planning to terminate. Manpower sees a fourteen percent net hiring improvement in the upcoming third quarter, after seasonal adjustment to the data. If it holds true, it'll be the second consecutive quarter of improvement, a sign that employers are beginning to have more confidence in the steady-but-slow, economic recovery.

It's good news, but job searching will still take more time and dedication in this employers' market, than it does in a job seekers' market. It won't boost hiring to pre-recession levels either, but it's the most positive level in five quarters, according to summary statements by Jeffrey A. Joerres, Manpower's Chairman and CEO. He added, "Hiring intentions are consistent with those we have seen in past recovery periods, with Manufacturing improving the most significantly, followed closely by the Services sector."

Manpower is a staffing firm established in 1948, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It now has 3,900 branch offices and franchises in 61 countries worldwide. For their complete third-quarter survey, click Manpower 3Q Survey in the sidebar.

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