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Hiring increasing but not rapidly enough

Posted on March 14th, 2012 Read time: 1 minutes

According to the recent Manpower Employment Outlook survey, hiring for full-time, part-time and temporary workers in the U.S. is at its strongest pace since late 2008.

Specifically, a seasonally adjusted net 10 percent of employers said they plan to add to their workforce in the second quarter of 2012 – up from 9 percent in first quarter and 8 percent in the second quarter of 2011.

However, Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and chief executive of ManpowerGroup, cautioned that the unemployed and underemployed shouldn't get too excited about the news.

"This isn't a feeding frenzy," said Joerres. "Companies are going to be very picky and selective, which is extremely frustrating for people out of work, but there is more intention to hire." He added that job seekers should consider "redoubling" their efforts because there is still more hiring going on now than in previous years.

The industry with the most positive employment outlook is leisure and hospitality. According to Reuters, this could be in part because hotel renovations that were delayed during the recession are now being reevaluated. The amount of renovations announced during Q4 2011 (427) more than doubled from the year-earlier period figure of 203.

New and renovated hotels mean more jobs not only for people looking for work in hospitality, but also in the construction sector as well. 

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