Manpower survey shows healthy job growth

A quarterly survey of Iowa employers finds the next three months should bring continued healthy job growth for most communities statewide. Mike Lynch, spokesman for Manpower Incorporated, says the period of October through December appears promising. Lynch says the state should expect moderate-to-robust hiring, while several areas indicate a strong hiring preference, including: Des Moines, the Quad Cities, Marshalltown, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. As part of the survey, employers are asked if, during the coming quarter, they intend to hire more employees, reduce their workforce or maintain their current staff levels. Some Iowa cities are looking less positive for job growth, including Burlington, Muscatine and Waterloo. Lynch says the trend for at least moderate job growth across the state has been continuing for several quarters, though he says the specific reasons behind the trend are elusive.Lynch says the experts say the economy is improving and while there are pockets of layoffs and downsizings, as a whole, employers appear to be more optimistic than they have been in a number of years. For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in durable and nondurable goods manufacturing, education and public administration. Employers in wholesale/retail trade and services voiced mixed hiring intentions, while hiring in construction, transportation/public utilities and finance/insurance/real estate is expected to remain unchanged.