logo_manpowerA report issued today shows nearly a quarter of Iowa employers plan to hire workers in the coming months.

The Manpower survey for the third quarter of the year places Iowa’s “net employment outlook” at 19 percent. Manpower spokesperson Kathy Joblinske says business leaders in the state aren’t as optimistic about their hiring intentions as they were earlier this year. “That is a little softer than the second quarter survey results, when we were at 25 percent, but still strong,” Joblinske says.

The new survey shows 24 percent of Iowa employers expect to add workers between July and September. “For the upcoming quarter, job prospects (in Iowa) appear best in construction, nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, warehouse and retail trade, and leisure and hospitality services,” Joblinske says.

Seventy-percent of the employers surveyed plan to maintain staff levels in the third quarter, while five-percent expect to reduce their payrolls.