Job Outlook Looks Strong Into ‘97 Survey Shows 21% Of Firms Plan To Boost Hiring Next Year

The nation’s job outlook will remain strong through the start of next year despite the usual post-holiday slowdown in hiring, according to a new survey released Monday.

The study by Manpower Inc., the nation’s largest temporary staffing business, says 21 percent of 16,000 companies surveyed plan to increase hiring in the first three months of 1997. Only 11 percent expect staff reductions, while 68 percent either plan no changes or didn’t know.

Similar results were reported at this time last year, when 20 percent said they planned increases and 12 percent planned reductions, Manpower said.

“The overall hiring picture has a very stable look, a condition that has prevailed on a seasonally adjusted basis over the past 12 quarters,” Manpower’s chief executive Mitchell Fromstein said Sunday.

The outlook is less robust than three months ago, when Manpower said 25 percent planned to boost payrolls during the OctoberDecember quarter, a period when many employers are hiring for the holiday shopping season.

The strongest sectors were education and durable goods manufacturing.

Among the weakest categories were construction, finance and real estate, and public administration.

Regionally, the strongest job market was in the West, where 24 percent of companies said they plan to add jobs, compared to 21 percent in the South and Midwest, and 17 percent in the East.