Job market slowly recovering in second quarter of 2010, says Manpower

People looking for work as they consolidate debt and save money to remain above water financially will likely be pleased by new data from Manpower Inc. demonstrating a slight increase in payroll that are expected during the second quarter of 2010.

Manpower’s Employment Outlook Survey for Q2 2010 released on Tuesday found that 16 percent of the 18,000 employers surveyed across the country expected to increase their staff levels during the quarter while only 8 percent expect a decrease. The results netted a positive employment outlook of 8 percent, which was lowered to 5 percent when seasonally adjusted.

Additionally, 73 percent of employers said they were planning on keeping their staffing levels stable through the second quarter, a record high figure for the survey.

"U.S. hiring activity is still in neutral, but revving toward first gear," said Jonas Prising, Manpower’s president of the Americas. "It’s moving in the right direction, but it will take some time, with no major speed bumps, before it can accelerate."

Of the 13 employment sectors looked at by Manpower for the survey, 12 of them reported positive outlooks, with the leisure and hospitality industry expecting the most significant gains (17 percent) in payroll for the quarter. Government employers were the only sector to anticipate a slight decline of 1 percent to their payrolls.