Local Companies Scale Back Hiring

Spokane companies don’t expect to do much hiring this summer according to the newest Manpower Inc. survey.

Manpower’s third-quarter employment outlook survey, issued Friday, says only 16 percent of the companies that responded to the survey plan to recruit more workers during July, August and September.

That compares with the same period a year ago when 48 percent of the local companies surveyed projected additional hiring.

The current survey says 10 percent of its local respondents are planning staff cutbacks during the quarter, and 71 percent see no adjustments in their work forces.

“The outlook is even weaker than three months ago when 10 percent intended to increase their labor pools and none anticipated cutbacks,” Tom Droz, Manpower spokesman, said in a news release.

The survey predicts that the best job opportunities this summer will be in construction and wholesale or retail trade. Cutbacks are predicted in transportation, public utilities and services.

Nationwide, 28 percent of the companies surveyed plan to add staff during the quarter.