Iowa employers expect to hire at a steady pace during the fourth quarter of 2005, according to a new survey from Manpower Incorporated. Agency spokesman Mike Lynch says 31-percent of the Iowa employers surveyed expect to add to their staffs between October and December, eight-percent planned reductions, and 60-percent expect to keep their workforce steady. Lynch says the hiring intentions appear positive statewide, with especially good hiring expected in Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities and Ottumwa. Many employers often hire seasonal help from Thanksgiving through the end of the year but Lynch says these numbers look like more than just seasonal hires. Some may be seasonal but the majority of them are considered solid hiring growth, in industries including construction and manufacturing. Lynch says this year’s projections for the current quarter are very similar to how things looked at this time in 2004. Lynch says we’re slightly ahead of last year. This quarter, 33-percent of Iowa employers surveyed planned to hire new workers while ten-percent planned cuts. A year ago, it was 29-percent planned to hire versus eight-percent planning cuts. For more information, surf to “www.manpower.com”.
