Hiring will stay flat for holidays

Though retailers will be hiring for the holiday season, it won't be a merry job market, according to a local quarterly hiring intentions survey.

A majority of the employers in the fourth-quarter employment outlook survey told Manpower Inc. that they won't be changing their staffing levels from October through December.

"The hiring activity is expected to be lighter than the previous quarter," said Manpower spokesman Ed Spence.

Results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey showed 9 percent of the interviewed employers in the Aiken-Augusta area will be hiring in the last three months of the year, and another 9 percent said they will reduce their payrolls. Seventy-nine percent expect to maintain their current staff levels, and 3 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in nondurable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and information and professional services.

Staffing reductions will be coming in durable goods manufacturing, transportation, utilities, leisure and hospitality.

Construction, financial activities, education, health and government levels will be unchanged.

Nationally, 12 percent of those surveyed indicated they'd be hiring more people, and 14 percent were going to cut back. The results are based on interviews with more than 14,000 public and private employers in 460 markets nationwide.

"While there are areas within the U.S. which are showing an uptick, we have yet to see the robust hiring intentions that would indicate a full labor market recovery," said Manpower Inc.'s CEO Jeff Joerres.

Two of the strongest job markets are in Georgia: Columbus and Savannah.

Reach Tim Rausch at (706) 823-3352 or timothy.rausch@augustachronicle.com.