MILWAUKEE, Wis. – West Central Ohio employers plan to hire at a steady pace in the second quarter of 2020 with an employment outlook of 19 percent, according to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

The net employment outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

Among employers surveyed, 22 percent plan to hire more employees from April through June. This number is offset by the 3 percent that plan to reduce payrolls while 73 percent of employers expect to maintain current staff levels and 2 percent indicate they are not sure of their hiring plans. This yields a net employment outlook of 19 percent.

To view the complete U.S. survey results, visit ManpowerGroup.US/MEOS.

“Compared to Q1 2020 when the net employment outlook was 22 percent, West Central Ohio employers have reported a weaker hiring pace,” Joanie Krein, of Manpower, said. “When looking at year-over-year expectations, hiring intentions have slowed down from when the outlook was 23 percent.”

For the coming months of April-June, employers are optimistic to hire in construction, durable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, information, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, other services, nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, and government job prospects remain unchanged.

U.S. employers plan to continue hiring at a solid pace in the second quarter with an employment outlook of +19 percent. The survey of more than 11,250 employers shows positive hiring intentions across all 12 industries with the strongest outlooks in the second quarter reported in leisure and hospitality (+28%), transportation and utilities (+24%), wholesale and retail trade (+22%) as consumer confidence keeps the economy and the labor market on a solid footing.

“U.S. consumers are remaining confident, and as long as consumers keep spending, our experience tells us that jobs will follow, which is reflected in the steady hiring outlooks in Q2,” said Becky Frankiewicz, president of ManpowerGroup North America. “Like the rest of the world, U.S. employers remain cautious, particularly in manufacturing as trade negotiations continue and hiring intentions soften for the coming quarter. The reality is U.S. employers have added jobs every month since October 2010 and demand continues to outpace the supply of skilled workers. When jobs are plush, it takes more than pay to attract and keep talent. Our research of over 2,000 workers shows the best way to compete in a talent-scare environment is three-fold: offer people flexibility over when and where work gets done, challenging work to learn new skills plus competitive pay.”

• Employers in all 12 U.S. industry sectors expect to add workers during the upcoming quarter: leisure and hospitality (+28%), transportation and utilities (+24%), wholesale and retail trade (+22%), professional and business services (+21%), construction (+20%), government (+18%), durable goods manufacturing (+16%), education and health services (+17%), financial activities (+14%), information (+13%), other services (+12%) and nondurable goods manufacturing (+12%).

• The outlook in the Midwest (+21%) remains at a 19-year high, flat quarter-over-quarter and 2 percentage points higher year-over-year. Hiring intentions in the West (18%), Northeast (17%) and South (21%) all decline by 1 percent quarter over-quarter. In the West and Northeast, the outlook declines by 1 percentage point compared to a year ago while employers in the South report an increase of 1 percentage point.

• Employers in Alaska (+34%), Maine (+34%), Virginia (+30%) and Wisconsin (+30%) report the strongest outlooks nationwide. Of the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, the strongest job gains are expected in Virginia Beach, Virginia (+37%), Madison, Wisconsin, (+35%), Charleston, South Carolina (+34%) and Deltona, Florida (+34%).

Complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey are available for download at ManpowerGroup.com/MEOS.