Survey Shows Softer County Job Market for 2nd Quarter

Ventura County’s job market will be softer in the second quarter than it was in the first, according to a survey of the county’s major employers by Manpower Inc.

The quarterly study says 17% of the county’s larger companies are planning to increase their payrolls this spring, but that an even larger number--27%--plan layoffs. Of the remainder, 46% expect no change and 10% are undecided.

The survey was mostly conducted before the earthquake, a Manpower spokesman said. But most employers who were re-surveyed after the quake said their plans had not changed, he added.

Hank Hinse, the temporary help firm’s spokesman, said numerous people have been hired to repair quake damage in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, but that many of the jobs are expected to be “very temporary in nature.”

The latest outlook is somewhat darker than three months ago, when 13% of Ventura County employers said they expected to increase their hiring in the first quarter while an equal percentage predicted layoffs.

A year ago, fully 50% of those questioned were bullish and only 7% expected reduced work forces.