Staffing firm Manpower's survey predicts summer employment surge in Toledo area
6/11/2013Hiring in the third quarter of 2013 by Toledo-area employers is expected to surge, according to a new employment survey by temporary staffing firm Manpower Inc.
In its report released Tuesday, Manpower in Milwaukee said that of the Toledo-area companies it interviewed for its survey, 24 percent indicated they plan to increase staffing levels from July through September while just 6 percent said they would decrease their staff, producing a net employment outlook of 18 percent.
For the third quarter a year ago, Manpower had predicted a net employment growth of just 11 percent with 19 percent of employers adding staff and 8 percent decreasing staff.
The upcoming employment surge exceeds the current second-quarter outlook.
Manpower’s survey indicated that from April through June, 17 percent of Toledo-area employers were adding staff while 4 percent were decreasing staff for a net employment outlook of just 13 percent.
The company does not disclose how many employers it surveys in the Toledo area, but nationally it surveys more than 18,000 employers.
For the upcoming third quarter, Manpower said the best job prospects in metro Toledo appear to be in the nondurable goods manufacturing sector, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and other services. Employers in construction, durable goods manufacturing, and education and health services all plan to reduce their staffing levels. Hiring in transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, information, financial activities, and government is expected to remain unchanged.
Patty Bernal, operations manager for Manpower's Maumee office, said she was not surprised the third-quarter forecast for the Toledo area is upbeat.
“We've been seeing a steady increase [in job orders]. I was glad when I saw the numbers, but I wasn’t too surprised by them,” she said.
Craig Gebers, an official with The Source of Northwest Ohio, the area's one-stop job agency, said employment has been steadily growing in the area.
“I think there's been steady progress that we see, that there are jobs out there now,” Mr. Gebers said. “We have more employers coming in that want to interview and recruit on-site. We've seen a steady increase of that over the last year and a half.”
Overall for Ohio, Manpower is forecasting a 17 percent net employment outlook during the third quarter. Its survey of Ohio employers revealed that 23 percent plan to increase their staffing from July through September with just 6 percent planning decreases. An additional 69 percent plan to maintain staffing at their current levels.
Nationally, Manpower expects only a 12 percent net employment outlook in the third quarter after seasonal job figures are factored in, up from 11 percent a year ago.
“The slow and steady improvements we’ve seen quarter over quarter have formed a launch pad for continued progress,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president. “Positive hiring intentions are critical for economic growth, but having the right talent available to fill open positions is the other side of the coin. Without a qualified pool of candidates ready for employment, economic growth may be hampered as businesses aren’t able to meet increased demand due to unfilled positions. Through increased collaboration between educators, government, and the private sector, we can shrink the talent mismatch and build upon our current momentum.”
Mr. Gebers noted that finding qualified job candidates continues to be a problem for The Source and the problem could grow as more employers decide to increase their staffs.
“I think what we are seeing is people having the right skills is becoming a key issue. Yes, there is a lot of growth in the number of entry-level jobs. But for the better jobs, you need certain skills and pre-employment issues also are becoming a problem,” Mr. Gebers said.
Employers say they are seeing up to 45 percent of job candidates failing to pass pre-employment testing, mostly drug-screening tests, Mr. Gebers said.
“People need to be prepared for their testing and some people just aren’t,” he said.
Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.