Staff Report
PLYMOUTH — Marshall County employers expect to hire at a vigorous pace in the second quarter of 2007, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
From April to June, 43 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while none expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Eric Jones. Another 57 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels.
“Marshall County employers expect more favorable hiring conditions than in the first quarter when 30 percent of the companies interviewed intended to add staff, and 3 percent planned to reduce headcount,” said Jones. “By comparison, employer hiring intentions are much more positive than they were a year ago when 10 percent of companies surveyed thought job gains were likely and 3 percent intended to cut back.”

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in construction, manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/retail trade and services. Hiring in finance/insurance/real estate, education and public administration is expected to remain unchanged.
Marshall County’s expected increase in employment is higher than expectations in South Bend, Warsaw and Elkhart. South Bend and Warsaw employers both expect about a 20 percent net increase and Elkhart employers surveyed expected a net increase of 17 percent.
The average expected net increase in the state is 20 percent.
At the national level, U.S. employers anticipate that job prospects will ease slightly during the second quarter of 2007, according to the seasonally adjusted survey results. Looking back at the last four quarters of data, a clear softening trend emerges, indicating that employers are growing somewhat hesitant about adding staff.
Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 28 percent expect to increase payrolls during the second quarter of 2007, while 7 percent expect to trim staff levels. Fifty-nine percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6 percent are undecided about their hiring plans.