Syracuse Q4 hiring plans mirror those of a year ago

Syracuse–area firms plan to hire in the fourth quarter of 2012 at a comparable rate as they did in the same period last year, according to a recent survey.

The Syracuse metropolitan statistical area’s net employment outlook for the upcoming quarter notched 7 percent, according to a Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released Sept. 11. Milwaukee–based ManpowerGroup’s (NYSE: MAN) Manpower division releases the survey quarterly.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Syracuse’s net employment outlook was 8 percent. It registered 18 percent in the third quarter of this year.

“As we look at the final months of the year, employment prospects are trending much weaker compared to the third quarter of 2012, when the net employment outlook was 18 percent,” Manpower Regional Director Tom Winner said in a news release. “Hiring plans are similar compared to one year ago, when the net employment outlook was 8 percent.”

Manpower, which is a regional and temporary staffing firm, calculates net employment outlooks by subtracting the percentage of employers expecting to decrease hiring from the percentage expecting to boost hiring.

For the fourth quarter of 2012, 18 percent of Syracuse-area firms said they plan to hire more employees. Another 11 percent anticipated reducing staffing. An additional 68 percent intended to keep their employment levels steady, and 3 percent said they did not know their hiring plans.

Syracuse’s hiring plans trailed those of the nation. The country’s net employment outlook for the fourth quarter of this year is 11 percent. That’s the strongest fourth quarter reading since 2007, according to Manpower, which interviewed 18,000 employers for its survey.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com