22% of Firms Plan to Boost Hiring By 1994

More companies plan to increase their staffs in the 1993 fourth quarter than in the same period last year, Manpower Inc. said in its quarterly employment survey.

However, fewer companies plan to boost employment than in this year’s third quarter, according to the survey, which also found that a smaller percentage in the Northeast and West plan to add workers than in the Midwest and South.

Of the 15,000 companies polled nationally, 22% said they plan to add staff in the next three months, compared with 25% in the third quarter and 21% in 1992’s fourth quarter.

About 11% of the companies surveyed said they intend to reduce payrolls, compared with 8% in the third quarter and 11% in the 1992 fourth quarter. About 65% said they will keep employment at current levels, compared with 64% in the third quarter and 65% a year ago. In all three comparative periods, 3% said they are undecided about their hiring plans.

Manpower said employment levels during the current economic recovery are lagging levels during the 1983 economic upswing by six months to a year.

A smaller percentage of employers in the Northeast and West expect to hire workers than the national average, while Midwest employers expect to hire close to the average, the survey found. Businesses in southern states anticipate hiring at a rate above the national average.

The percentage of durable-goods manufacturers saying they expect to add workers dropped from the third quarter but surpassed year-ago levels, according to the survey. Producers of non-durable goods in the Midwest expect to continue actively hiring while those in the West expect reductions.