One-quarter of Iowa business owners surveyed in a new report plan on hiring more employees over the next three months. Manpower spokesperson Karen Miller says their survey for the second quarter of 2013 places Iowa’s “net employment outlook” at 21-percent.
“Iowa is actually the fourth best state in the nation for job opportunities,” Miller says. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey shows 25% of Iowa’s companies plan to increase staff levels between April and June, while just 4% expect to reduce their payrolls.
Iowa’s overall performance in the survey trails only North Dakota, Maine and Alaska “For the last seven quarters, Iowa has been in the top ten states for job seekers,” Miller says. “In many of those quarters, we’ve been in the top five, so Iowa remains a strong place to live and find work and opportunities.”
It’s not uncommon to see a surge in hiring over the second quarter of the year, according to Miller. “The first quarter is always a little bit slower after the end of the year spending, so we always see employers throttle back in the first quarter,” Miller says. “In the second quarter, there’s a combination of seasonality, a bit more optimism and just consumer desire.”
Iowa’s net employment outlook of 21% for the second quarter is up from eight-percent (8%) in Manpower’s first quarter survey and it also tops the 18% net employment outlook recorded one year ago. The net employment outlook for the U.S. stands at just 11% for the second quarter of 2013.
More than 18,000 employers across the country are interviewed by Manpower for the survey.