Manpower survey points to modest hiring gains locally

Local employers report a modest increase in hiring plans, according to the latest quarter survey by temp firm Manpower.

In the Raleigh-Cary area, 21 percent of the companies surveyed plan to hire during the fourth quarter, while 6 percent plan to cut their payrolls. That's a net employment outlook of 15 percent, a level that is the best in the nation, Manpower reports.

Nationally, 15 percent of employers plan to hire, while 7 percent plan to reduce their staffs.

The Triangle's job market, where the unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent in July, continues to fare better than the state and nation. That's partly because of its solid foundations of education, health care and state government, even as those sectors see some layoffs and limited hiring. This region also benefits by its concentration of technology and biotechnology firms.

For this region, the latest outlook is a slight improvement from June's survey, when 19 percent of companies planned to increase their staff levels during the third quarter. Only 5 percent planned to cut jobs.

A year ago, 6 percent of companies planned fourth-quarter hiring, while 12 percent planned cuts.

Manpower surveys about 18,000 employers nationally. It doesn't disclose how many local employers it surveys. Read the full Manpower report on the Raleigh-Cary region here.