Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — Companies expect to add more jobs in the third quarter, continuing a steady recovery from recession levels, a survey being released today shows.
Twenty-seven percent of the companies said they planned to add jobs in July through September, while 8 percent said they anticipated cutting staff, according to Manpower Inc.’s quarterly survey of 16,000 firms nationwide.
The rest of the companies said they either expected to maintain their staffing levels or were uncertain about hiring activities.
"The trend has definitely turned," said Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and chief executive of Manpower, the nation’s largest staffing company.
The third quarter results are nearly identical to the findings from the same period last year but still are not back to normal employment levels, Joerres said.
"Last year we were on the way down. This year we’re on the way up," he said. "There is still going to be pain associated with finding a job, but it’s going to be less painful."
The nation’s unemployment rate jumped to 6 percent in April, the highest in nearly eight years. Economists say companies are worried about the recovery’s staying power and are reluctant to quickly rehire workers.
The U.S. Labor Department reported last week that new claims for unemployment benefits dropped by a seasonally adjusted 11,000 to 411,000 for the previous week.
Findings from Manpower Inc.’s quarterly survey of 16,000 firms nationwide:
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