Employment Outlook Upbeat for 4th Quarter

Hiring in Ventura County is expected to gain momentum during the last three months of the year, according to an employment outlook survey by Manpower Inc.

Among Ventura County employees who responded to the survey, 36% said they will increase their work force this fall, while 10% expect to reduce personnel and 48% indicated their employment levels will remain stable.

The best job opportunities are expected in the wholesale/retail trade, education and services. Mixed intentions were reported in durable goods manufacturing.

The outlook in Ventura County is better than in California as a whole, where 27% of companies reported that they expect to increase the number of employees. Another 58% said they expect no change in staffing, and 8% plan to decrease their work force.

Betty Andrews of the Manpower office in Camarillo said year-end staffing can be a mix of seasonal factors, with retail gearing up for holidays and other industries slowing down.

“The outlook here is a little brighter than three months ago, when 31% planned to raise their payrolls and 10% intended to reduce them,” Andrews said. “Last year at this time, 16% predicted adding to their work force, while 13% foresaw fewer workers.”

Manpower conducts a nationwide employment outlook survey every quarter. The latest survey is based on telephone interviews with more than 16,000 public and private employers in 484 cities.

Nationwide, 25% of employers said they expect to increase staffing, while 9% plan decreases.