O.C. Job Growth Expected : Employment: 24% of companies surveyed by Manpower say they anticipate adding to their staffs soon.
A number of Orange County employers, in their most optimistic mood in three years, are planning to expand their work forces during the third quarter, according to a survey by Manpower Inc.
The temporary-help company said that 24% of county companies surveyed recently said they expect to increase staff during the three-month period beginning July 1, while 10% plan some layoffs. The rest don’t expect any changes in their labor pools.
Last year, as Southern California’s economy continued to struggle through a long-running recession, only 8% of county companies surveyed had plans to add workers during the third quarter, while 7% planned cutbacks. A huge 82% said there would be no changes.
“I was pretty pleased with the latest results,” said Sue Foigelman, area manager for Milwaukee-based Manpower. “There’s more of a sense of optimism. It’s something we’ve been feeling with our temporary-help services.”
Not since the second quarter of 1990 has there been greater enthusiasm, according to Manpower. At that time, 27% of Orange County’s responding companies said they planned to hire workers, while a similar 10% expected to cut back.
Most of the job opportunities in the county later this year will be in construction, non-durable goods manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade. Cutbacks are expected in education. The survey shows mixed readings in durable goods manufacturing, services, financial institutions and public administration.
The results of Manpower’s survey are close to the predictions made by Chapman University’s Center for Economic Research but reflect a little more enthusiasm.
“We’re seeing improvement in the job market, probably in the latter part of year,” said Esmael Adibi, a Chapman economics professor and director of the center. “But the improvement we’re seeing is not really significant.”
The only major difference between Manpower’s survey and the center’s predictions are in the manufacturing field, where the center thinks there will be continued job losses through the rest of the year.
Orange County’s work force last year was 1.1 million, and Adibi said he expected this year’s employment to be about the same.
“We’re going to gain jobs in the third and fourth quarters,” he said, “but probably not enough to compensate for the losses in the first two quarters.”
The expectations of county employers are generally much higher than those of companies across the seven-county Southland area surveyed by Manpower. Regionally, 17% of the employers surveyed plan to add workers, while 16% foresee cutbacks and 63% aren’t anticipating any changes. Statewide, 19% plan increases, 15% expect decreases and 61% will maintain current staffing levels.
Nationally, the results of Manpower’s survey changed little from a year ago. In all industries, 25% of the companies surveyed expect to add to their payrolls during the third quarter, while 8% plan to let people go.
The national figures “are not showing the strength in the last few quarters, when there was a small growth spurt,” said Barb Schryver, a spokeswoman at Manpower’s corporate headquarters.
The company surveys more than 15,000 companies nationally.
Job Outlook Brightens
A survey of Orange County employers’ anticipated staffing needs shows significantly brighter job prospects for July, August and September this year than was the case in 1991 and 1992.
Staffing plans
3rd qtr. 3rd qtr. 3rd qtr. 1991 1992 1993 Increase 17% 8% 24% Decrease 17% 7% 10% No Change 61% 82% 66% Undecided 5% 3% 0%
Source: Manpower Inc.
Employment Outlook
Hiring expectations for the July-September period this year are higher in Orange County than in the greater Southern California region or statewide. But the majority of employers at all three levels expect staffing to remain unchanged. Survey results for third quarter, 1993:
Increase No change Decrease Undecided Orange County 24% 66% 10% -- Southern California 17 63 16 4% Statewide 19 61 15 5
Source: Manpower Inc.
