A survey of Iowa employers finds the first three months of the new year may be good ones for job seekers. Mike Lynch, spokesman for Manpower Incorporated, says January, February and March appear to be very promising for new hires across much of Iowa.
Lynch says relatively robust hiring is planned by local employers. The survey found 30-percent of Iowa employers questioned said they planned to hire during the first quarter, 10-percent planned staff reductions while 60-percent planned to make no significant changes. He says the hiring forecast is particularly promising in several Iowa communities.
Robust hiring is expected in Muscatine, Des Moines, Burlington, Mason City and the Quad Cities. Overall, he says the state has a net increase of 12-percent when you compare the percentage of employers who plan to add versus subtract from their workforces. The only Iowa city in the “net decrease” category is Cedar Rapids, where more employers plan to cut jobs than those planning to hire. Lynch compares the statewide first quarter forecast to previous quarters.
The current forecast is a little better than last year for the same period of time but is slightly behind the last quarter of 2005. There’s more information at “www.manpower.com”.