Employers are more optimistic about hiring in the first quarter of 2011 than at any time in more than two years. Overall 9% more of them expect to be adding staff than expect to be reducing it. Some cities have an exceptionally positive outlook, while others present a bleaker picture.
Employment services firm Manpower ( MAN - news - people ) surveyed more than 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas to find out who's hiring, who's firing and who plans to maintain their current staff levels. The survey revealed that the metropolitan area with the most optimistic forecast of all for hiring this winter is Baton Rouge, La.
Louisiana's capital tops the list this with an 18% net employment outlook, which is the percentage of employers who expect to add employees (22%) minus the percentage who expect to reduce their workforce (4%). Another 71% said they anticipated no change, and 3% didn't know.
"Over the last 24 months we have seen significant economic development in a lot of sectors," says Adam Knapp, president and chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. "The region has been cited in various rankings over the past year for having one of the strongest growth economies." He says Baton Rouge stayed strong throughout the recession: "Unlike a lot of regions, the firms here aren't adding jobs now because they cut back during the economic downturn. We are adding to what we already had, and starting new firms entirely."
Baton Rouge is enjoying growth in digital media, biofuels and wood products and construction. Three hospitals are building new facilities, so new jobs are expected in health care too. The city won't be adding government jobs, though, as the state budget won't allow it.
In fact the Manpower survey found that government hiring is expect to remain flat in all 50 states between January and March 2011. Job prospects are looking the best in industries like leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, information and wholesale and retail trade.
"Information technology and gaming, international trade, life services, health care and professional services are the areas anticipating the most growth in the greater Seattle area," says George Allen, senior vice president of government relations at the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area is the second-most optimistic metropolitan area, with a 15% net employment outlook.
The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce issued its own jobs sector survey in July; 1,200 employers were polled, and the results were upbeat. Fifty-six percent of King County employers anticipated that business would be better in 2011, and 41% expected to hire more. "We found there is a sweet spot for hiring," Allen says. "The small companies aren't planning to hire, the big companies are looking to decrease hiring, and the mid-sized companies are the ones really looking to grow."
The Milwaukee area trails close behind Seattle with a 14% net employment outlook for the winter. Milwaukee was once known almost exclusively for its brewing and manufacturing industries, but major developments over the years like Miller Park and the Frontier Airlines Center have helped to broaden both its image and its employment opportunities. Milwaukee is home to the headquarters of major corporations including Harley-Davidson ( HOG - news - people ), Johnson Controls ( JCI - news - people ) and Kohl's ( KSS - news - people ). CONTINUE READING...