LAPLACE – La Place area employers expect to hire at a respectable pace during the first quarter of 2006, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

From January to March, 20 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 7 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Kathy McLeod. Another 73 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels.

&#8220For the La Place area, hiring plans are similar to those reported in the fourth quarter forecast when 13 percent of the companies interviewed predicted an increase in hiring activity, and none planned to decrease the hiring pace,” said McLeod.

&#8220A year ago at this time, hiring intentions were also similar when 13 percent of companies surveyed thought employment increases were likely and none intended to cut back.”

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Wholesale/Retail Trade and Services. Employers in Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing voice mixed hiring intentions, while those in Construction, Durable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation/Public Utilities, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate, Education and Public Administration anticipate no change in staffing levels.

The national results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey reveal that U.S. employers plan to carry over their hiring sentiments into 2006. This rounds out two consecutive years of consistent job prospects.

Of the 16,000 employers that were surveyed, 23% anticipate an increase in hiring activity for the first quarter of 2006, while 10 percent expect to decrease staff levels. Sixty-one percent of employers surveyed foresee no change in hiring plans, while 6% are unsure of their staffing needs.

The seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook for the first three months of the year is 20%, identical to the fourth quarter of 2005 and nearly the same as a year ago.