RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — Many employers across the Carolinas and Georgia are planning to increase their workforces in the third quarter of 2005, according to the latest job surveys from Manpower International.
Local Tech Wire gathered data from Manpower for North and South Carolina as well as Georgia to provide a snapshot of regional hiring trends.
In North Carolina, the hottest market for prospective job growth is Raleigh with 53 percent of employers looking to add workers. Right behind are Charlotte (51 percent) and Winston-Salem (45 percent).
“Employers in the Raleigh area have more favorable hiring intentions than in the second quarter when 43 percent of the companies interviewed intended to add staff, and 17 percent plan to reduce headcount,” said Manpower spokesperson Jeff Stocks.
The statewide growth percentage is 27 percent, with 7 percent of employers expecting to cut workers.
In Georgia, the hottest job market appears to be Augusta with 37 percent of employers looking to add workers.
The growth percentage in Atlanta dropped to 22 percent, a drop from 37 percent in the second quarter.
“Employers are also more cautious about hiring than they were a year ago when 40 percent of companies surveyed thought employment increases were likely and 2 percent intended to cut back,” said Manpower spokesperson Beth Herman.
The statewide growth average is 19 percent.
In South Carolina, Greenville is the most promising for job growth with 60 percent of employers looking to grow.
The state average for job growth is 25 percent of employers. That’s down 5 percent from the same quarter a year ago, according to Manpower spokesperson Carole Stewart.
“Employers in the Columbia area have less favorable hiring intentions than in the second quarter when 30 percent of the companies interviewed intended to add staff and 3 percent planned to reduce headcount,” Stewart said. Twenty percent of employers said they pan to add workers in the latest report while 3 percent are considering reductions.
The national hiring picture looks promising, Manpower reported. Of 16,000 employers surveyed, 31 percent are expecting to add workers. Some 6 percent expect to decrease payroll.
Manpower described the hiring trend as “stable” with the net employment outlook remaining the same for the third quarter as it was in the second quarter and similar to 2004.
A recent survey looking at more tech- and financial-specific jobs was not as optimistic.
Eleven percent of CIOs in the metro Atlanta area and 7 percent in metro Charlotte anticipate hiring additional IT workers, according to the quarterly Robert Half Technology Information Technology Hiring Index and Skills report.
Of 200 CIOs surveyed in Atlanta, 17 percent have expansion plans but 6 percent plan reductions.
The forecast is the same as for the second quarter and also reflects the national average, the survey said.
In Charlotte, 13 percent of CIOs expect to add staff while 6 percent look to make cuts.
Manpower Data Breakdown:
The percentage of employers planning to increase hiring in North Carolina by metro area:
The percentage of employers planning to increase hiring in Georgia by metro area:
The percentage of employers planning to increase hiring in South Carolina by metro area:
For more details, see: www.manpower.com
