Saginaw Valley employers expect to hire at a brisk pace during the second quarter of 2008, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

From April to June, 43% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 7% expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Tom Bovee.

Another 30% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 20% are not certain of their hiring plans.

"Compared with the first quarter of 2008 when 37% of companies interviewed intended to add employees, and 3% planned to reduce staff levels, area hiring levels appear to be stable," said Bovee. "Employers are more optimistic about hiring activity as compared to one year ago, when 27% of companies surveyed planned to increase staff levels and none expected to cut payrolls."
For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in Construction, Durable Goods Manufacturing, Transportation/Public Utilities, Wholesale/Retail Trade, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate and Services.

Employers in Public Administration plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing is expected to remain unchanged. Employers in Education are unsure of their staffing plans.