Forecasts Predict Uptick In State Employment

An uptick in hiring is expected in Wisconsin over the next three months, according to the latest quarterly jobs forecast from the Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup.

The survey shows that 22 percent of Wisconsin employers expect to add workers during the second quarter of this year, while only four percent plan layoffs. ManpowerGroup Vice President Melanie Holmes says holding a job seems to be getting easier: “Last quarter in Wisconsin, 10 percent of the employers that we spoke with planned to decrease, so this is a much better quarter.”

But Wisconsin employers are not exactly bullish on adding workers. Nearly three-quarters either plan no change in hiring, or are uncertain of their plans. Still, Holmes says job seekers appear to have it better than in some years: “So as a job seeker, over one in five plan to increase their staff and are hiring, so this may be a good time.”

The Wisconsin hiring picture is slightly better than the national forecast. But across the United States, all states and industry sector have a positive hiring outlook for the next three months.