The outlook for job prospects in Iowa for the first quarter of 2007 is only so-so, according to new projections being released by an employment agency. Manpower Incorporated surveyed employers across Iowa and found 17-percent plan to hire on new staff between January and March, 12-percent plan cuts, 67-percent will stay the same and four-percent didn’t know.
Manpower spokesman Mike Lynch says some Iowa cities fared better than others. He says hiring prospects look brighter in the Quad Cities, Marshalltown, Mason City, Muscatine and Burlington. He says survey found more negative results in Waterloo, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids.
Lynch says Ottumwa posted the worst numbers in Iowa with 23-percent of employers expecting cuts in the quarter ahead and only 10-percent planning to hire. He says the survey is also broken down by industry.
Lynch says those planning to increase staff are in sectors including: transportation, public utilities and services, while those planning to cut staffs are in industries like: construction, along with wholesale and retail trades. More information is available at “www.manpower.com”.