Home  EDC News Continued Job Growth in Decatur |
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Continued Job Growth in Decatur |
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DECATUR - A quarterly employment survey predicts continued growth in the Decatur job market.
The Manpower Inc. survey released Tuesday showed 33 percent of those surveyed locally planned to hire more employees. Only 3 percent say they plan to reduce payroll.
In addition, 61 percent of those surveyed plan to maintain their current staffing levels from July through September. Three percent are uncertain of their plans, the survey found.
"We're in a situation where everybody who wants a job can have a job if they can meet the qualifications the employers are setting up," said Craig Coil, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County. "I think that surprises some people."
Coil said some businesses that he has talked with have indicated they would hire if they could find enough qualified applicants. Most companies continue to be in a hiring mode, he said.
"We need to do a better job of making sure we've identified all the resources to get people in the work force and let them know the opportunities that exist," Coil said.
This quarter's survey results are mostly in line with, if not slightly better than, the same time last year and with other recent employment trends.
"Employers are also more confident than they were a year ago when 27 percent of companies surveyed planned to add staff and 3 percent anticipated a reduction in payrolls," said Jan Brown, Manpower's Decatur branch manager.
Job prospects appear best in nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation/utilities, wholesale/retail trade and services, the survey found.
Coil said recent employment trends continue to be among the best in recent history.
"There's no real sign that this is going to let up," Coil said. "The clouds on the horizon continue to point to long-term availability in the work force."
Decatur's numbers are similar to statewide results, with 27 percent of companies surveyed in Illinois planning to increase jobs. The survey showed 63 percent plan no change, 8 percent will eliminate jobs and 2 percent statewide are unsure.
Results nationwide remained relatively unchanged from the second quarter, with 29 percent of companies planning an increase in hiring. Seven percent of those surveyed plan to decrease jobs, 58 percent plan no change and 6 percent are undecided.
Manpower, a Milwaukee-based firm, does not release the names of the companies it surveys. It surveys about 14,000 employers nationwide.
The survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers' intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their work force during the next three months.
Chris Lusvardi can be reached at
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or 421-7972. |
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