More than 20 percent of employers in Temple, Killeen and the Fort Hood area told Manpower Inc. pollsters that they will hire more workers in the second quarter.
Only 4 percent of those surveyed said they will have layoffs, according to the survey report.
The quarterly Manpower Inc. poll went to almost 32,000 businesses and industries, asking about plans for April, May and June hiring.
More employers said they’ll be hiring than in the first quarter of this year, Dennis Bolding of the Temple Manpower office said.
Only 4 percent of companies said they plan to cut workers, and 67 percent expect to neither add to nor reduce their workforce.
Across the country, 15 percent of employers expect to hire in the second quarter, while 14 percent expect to lay workers off.
“We know that companies are having great difficulty forecasting consumer demand right now, and that’s a key impediment to hiring,” said Jonas Prising, Manpower president, the Americas. “It’s like trying to make out the image in a stained-glass window with no light behind it - it’s tough - so employers anticipate running lean until there’s more light.”
In this region, job prospects seem brightest in construction, durable goods manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade, the survey found.
