Job market prospects varied

Los Angeles area employment outlook for the second quarter of 2007 is one of the weakest in the nation, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, while the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas showed a better projection.

From April to June, 13 percent of the Los Angeles area companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 25 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Lee Fossey. Another 54 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels, and 8 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.

In contrast, 37 percent of the interviewed companies in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area expect to increase their workforces, and 2 percent plan to decrease their payrolls. Sixteen percent of the companies foresee no change in their current staff levels, and 45 percent are uncertain of hiring plans for the quarter.

"Los Angeles area employers expect less favorable hiring conditions than in the first quarter, when 18 percent of the companies interviewed intended to add staff, and 18 percent planned to reduce headcount," said Fossey. "By comparison, employer hiring intentions are also more modest than they were a year ago, when 16 percent of companies surveyed thought job gains were likely, and 22 percent intended to cut back.

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in construction and public administration. Employers in durable goods manufacturing, transportation/ public utilities, wholesale/retail trade and education plan to reduce staffing levels, while those in nondurable goods manufacturing, finance/insurance/real estate and services expressed mixed hiring intentions.

At the national level, U.S. employers anticipate that job prospects will ease slightly during the second quarter of 2007, according to seasonally adjusted survey results. Looking back at the last four quarters of data, a softening trend emerges, according to Fossey, indicating that employers are growing hesitant about adding staff.

Of the 14,000 employers surveyed, 28 percent expect to increase payrolls during the second quarter, while 7 percent expect to trim staff levels. Fifty-nine percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6 percent are undecided about their hiring plans.