Metro-area hiring plans decrease, survey finds

6/10/2008

A somewhat stalled hiring pace is expected in metro Toledo late this summer, according to a national report to be released today.

Twenty-seven percent of local firms surveyed said that from July to September, they plan to add employees, and 7 percent said they would reduce staff, Manpower Inc. reported. That compares with 37 percent planning to hire and 7 percent expecting to cut employment rolls for the same period last year.

Nationally, the Manpower quarterly poll of 14,000 employers found, 26 percent said they would hire and 10 percent plan to cut in the late summer months.

While overall softness continues in the third quarter, employers are generally not reacting with large-scale payroll reductions, said Jeffrey Joerres, Manpower chief executive officer.

Elsewhere in northwest Ohio, the survey found, 33 percent would hire and 13 percent would cut in Defiance; 20 percent would hire and none would trim staff in Findlay; and 20 percent would add staff and 13 percent would trim in Lima.