Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. Employers Anticipate Increasing Staff Levels in Q3 2016, While Overall Hiring Intentions Continue to Dip

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Jun 14, 2016, 07:00 ET

MILWAUKEE, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. employers indicate stable hiring plans for the third quarter of 2016, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, released today by ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN). Taking into account seasonal variations, the Net Employment Outlook is +15%, making anticipated hiring relatively stable, both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year.

View complete Q3 2016 survey results for the U.S.: www.manpowergroup.us/meos

United States Q3 2016 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

Of the more than 11,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 23 percent anticipate increasing staff levels in Quarter 3 2016. This is a 1 percent increase from Quarter 2 2016, and a 1 percent decrease from Quarter 3 2015. Five percent of employers expect workforce reductions, and 71 percent expect no change in hiring plans. The final 1 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring intentions, resulting in a seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook of +15%.

"Although employers have been increasingly cautious for the last three quarters, the U.S. hiring outlook is among the strongest globally, and we expect to see modest improvements in the labor market throughout most of the country," said Kip Wright, Senior Vice President of Manpower in North America. "This is good news for job seekers and organizations; as the competition for talent heats up, the way in which companies engage individuals is more critical than ever. Employers need to ensure they have the skills and resources they need – right when they need them."

Quarter	Increase Staff Levels	Decrease Staff Levels	Maintain Staff Levels	Don't Know	Net Employment Outlook *(deseasonalized)*
Q3 2016 (current)	23%	5%	71%	1%	15%
Q2 2016 (previous quarter)	22%	4%	72%	2%	16%
Q3 2015 (one year ago)	24%	4%	70%	2%	16%

U.S. Hiring Plans by Regions, Industry Sectors and Metro Areas/States

Quarter over quarter, U.S. employers in the Midwest, Northeast and South anticipate a slight decrease in hiring, while employers in the West expect hiring to remain relatively stable. Compared to one year ago at this time, the Outlook is relatively stable in the Northeast and the West, and declines slightly in the Midwest and South.

Employers have a positive Outlook in 12 of the 13 industry sectors included in the survey, with Leisure & Hospitality (+23%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+20%), Transportation & Utilities (+19%) and Professional & Business Services (+18%) employers reporting the strongest hiring intentions.

Among the 50 states, employers in Maine, Idaho, Montana, Delaware, Oregon and Kentucky report the strongest Net Employment Outlooks, while Louisiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Nevada and Wyoming project the weakest Outlooks.

Among employers in the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, the strongest job prospects are expected in:

Albany, N.Y.
Richmond, Va.
Charleston, S.C.
Salt Lake City, Utah

The weakest outlooks are projected in:

New Orleans, La.
Baton Rouge, La.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Bakersfield, Calif.

Complete results for the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey are available for download at www.manpower.us/meos. The next survey will be released on 13 September 2016 to report hiring expectations for Q4 2016. To receive email notifications when the survey is available each quarter, visit press.manpower.com.

*The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN) is the world's workforce expert, creating innovative workforce solutions for nearly 70 years. As workforce experts, we connect more than 600,000 people to meaningful work across a wide range of skills and industries every day. Through our ManpowerGroup family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – we help more than 400,000 clients in 80 countries and territories address their critical talent needs, providing comprehensive solutions to resource, manage and develop talent. In 2016, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the sixth consecutive year and one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup makes powering the world of work humanly possible: www.manpowergroup.com.

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SOURCE ManpowerGroup