The hiring outlook is consistent with previous forecasts for the current quarter, but slightly more employers are planning staff reductions over the summer, Manpower found.
“Employers are maybe slightly less optimistic than last quarter, and the forecast is also a little weaker than this time last year. But nothing dramatic,’’ said Kathy Trautman, a spokeswoman for the local Manpower office. “Exactly the same number of companies responded regarding increasing staff this quarter as last, but the net employment yield was a couple of points lower.’’
Manpower subtracts the percentage of employers planning to cut staff from the percentage forecasting an uptick in hiring to determine its net employment outlook, which fell from 13 percent in the third quarter last year to 10 percent this year.
On the positive side, uncertainty about the economy appears to be playing less of a role in hiring decisions.
The percentage of employers who plan to maintain staffing levels in the Manpower survey remained stable at 71 percent compared to the previous quarter and the third quarter last year. And only 3 percent of employers said they were unsure of their hiring plans this summer.
Still, fresh fears about the monetary crisis in Europe could have an impact this summer, Trautman said.
“You have to keep in mind that the survey for the coming quarter was done a few weeks ago, and the outlook was seeming a little less uncertain,’’ she said. “Now, I think Europe is making everyone nervous.’’
Nationwide, 21 percent of employers expect to add to their work forces, and 6 percent expect a decline in their payrolls during the third quarter, according to Manpower. Meanwhile, 71 percent of employers anticipate making no change to staff levels, and the remaining 2 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring plans.
The survey results are based on interviews with 18,000 employers in 100 major metro areas in 50 states.
Locally, the job market continues to show signs of strength, particularly in manufacturing, according to Trautman.
“Where we are really seeing the uptick in hiring continues to be in manufacturing,’’ she said. “Skilled trades as well as production and assembly workers are in demand.’’
Trautman said the area has also seen a slight uptick in demand for construction workers, which runs counter to the national trend.
After a surge in hiring earlier this year tied to unseasonably warm weather, hiring in construction has slowed nationwide.
The nation shed 28,000 construction jobs last month alone. Since reaching a low in January 2011, employment in construction has shown little change, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The slowdown in construction hiring contributed to a disappointing May jobs report, which showed U.S. employers added a less-than-expected 69,000 jobs, and the national unemployment rate inched up to 8.2 percent, the BLS reported.
The relative stability of the local job markets is reflected in its slightly better unemployment rate. The area saw its unemployment rate fall from 8.2 percent to 7.6 percent from March to April, the last month for which figures are available.
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