Job seekers in the Raleigh-Cary metro area can expect better hunting in the third quarter of this year, says a new survey of employers from talent management firm Manpower.

Across the state, hiring is forecast as “strong,” according to the report.

A whopping 30 percent of companies surveyed by Manpower in the capital city area plan to add staff from July through September, Manpower says. Meanwhile, only 4 percent are planning to reduce staff.

In other words, says Manpower, employers are “bullish” on hiring. 

The net 26 percent improvement in jobs – what Manpower calls “Net Employment Outlook” – ranks the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area as one of the hottest in the country. It ranks second among the hottest cities for jobs, a group that also includes: Grand Rapids, Mich.; Charleston, S.C.; Dallas; Minneapolis; Rochester, N.Y. and Boise, Idaho. (An infographic about the report is available online.)

The improvement is significantly better than last quarter and a year ago, says Raleigh Manpower executive Michael Doyle.

“Employers anticipate much stronger hiring plans compared to Quarter 2 when the Net Employment Outlook was 17 percent,” Doyle said in a statement. “Compared to one year ago when the Net Employment Outlook was 18%, local employers also expect a considerably brighter hiring forecast.”

Unemployment in Raleigh-Cary already is declining. In April, the jobless rate was 4.8 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from a year ago, according to the North Carolina Division of Employment Security. Unemployment statewide was 6 percent. 


WRAL TechWire reporting on new jobs, hiring trends:

  • Cisco adding 550 new jobs in RTP
  • New NetApp facility means 150 additional jobs
  • Forbes ranks Raleigh-Cary No. 8 for IT jobs
  • RTP report says nearly 100,000 jobs have been created since the recession
  • Information technology jobs openings across NC increase

The Manpower survey is the latest in a series of recent news reports indicating job growth in Raleigh-Cary.

Forbes recently cited the capital area as No. 8 on its IT jobs list, and within the last two weeks high-tech employers Cisco along with NetApp have reported plans to hire additional staff. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Technology Association reported that in April the average of daily advertised information technology jobs across the state increased 2.6 percent.

Across the area, the Research Triangle regional economic partnership recently reported that it expects employers to have added 100,000 net new jobs over the past five years as the recovery from the 2008-9 recession continues.  

Manpower does not break out data for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area.

Jobs Demand

So where are the jobs? 

According to Manpower, the best places to look are:

  • Construction
  • Nondurable Goods Manufacturing
  • Transportation and Utilities
  • Wholesale and Retail Trade
  • Financial Activities
  • Professional and Business Services
  • Education and Health Services
  • Leisure and Hospitality
  • Other Services.

Information technology, durable goods manufacturing and government jobs sectors are forecast to remain unchanged.

Statewide, National Forecast

Across the state, job prospects improved with a net average of 18 percent of employers planning to add jobs. 

Some 23 percent of companies surveyed are planning to add jobs while 5 percent are looking to make cuts.

A year ago, the Net Improvement Outlook was slightly higher at 20 percent, but in the second quarter of this year it was 14 percent,

The hiring trend across the state is the same as forecast for the Raleigh-Cary metro area.

Nationally, the jobs growth index is 14 percent, up a percentage point from the second quarter with 22 percent of the 18,000 employers surveyed saying they plan to add jobs. 

Manpower says the hiring outlook is the best since 2008. 

For more from Manpower, the press release is available online.