Employment

Little Rock Region Expected to Be Among Nation’s Strongest in Hiring

By John Henry, Arkansas Business, 3/10/2009

The employment outlook for the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway area is ranked among the top 10 in the nation in the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

Area employers expect to hire at a healthy pace during the second quarter of 2009, according to Manpower Inc.

From April to June, 22 percent of the area companies interviewed said they plan to hire more employees, while 12 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower. Another 62 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels and 4 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.

"Employers anticipate staff levels to be higher than the first quarter of 2009 when 14 percent of companies interviewed intended to add employees, and 10 percent planned to reduce staff levels," said ReNae Patterson, spokeswoman for the Little Rock office.

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in construction, durable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, information, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and government. Employers in nondurable goods manufacturing and transportation and utilities plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in other services is expected to remain unchanged.

Nationwide, of the 31,800 employers surveyed in the U.S., 15 percent expect to increase their staff levels during the April-June period, while 14 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, resulting in a net employment outlook of 1 percent. Sixty-seven percent expect no change in hiring and 4 percent are undecided about their second quarter hiring plans.