Hiring Could Increase Slightly at Start of 2003

Companies plan to hire slightly more people in the first few months of 2003 than a year ago even as they remain highly uncertain about the economy, a survey to be released today shows.

The improvements in companies’ hiring intentions are moving at a marginal pace for the second straight quarter, according to the Manpower Inc. quarterly survey of 16,000 businesses.

About 20% of the companies surveyed by Manpower expect to hire more people in the January-March quarter, and 12% plan to cut workers, according to the survey. The remainder said they expected to maintain their staffing or were uncertain.

When seasonally adjusted, the first quarter’s hiring intentions are slightly above those of the last two quarters.

Employers also are a bit more optimistic than they were for the first quarter of 2002, when 16% expected to hire more workers and 16% planned to reduce staff.

Manpower, based in Glendale, Wis., is the nation’s largest staffing company. It has conducted the survey for 27 years.