By Rusty Nixon, Pilot News Correspondent
PLYMOUTH - The job market will remain healthy in Marshall County, according to the latest numbers from Manpower's Employment Outlook Survey.
The survey, which is conducted quarterly to measure employers' intentions to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter, shows that 27 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees during that period, while 3 percent expect to reduce their payrolls.
"Marshall County employers have weaker hiring intentions than in the second quarter when 43 percent of the companies interviewed intended to hire additional employees, and none planned to reduce staff levels," said Manpower spokesperson Eric Jones. "Employers are more confident about hiring than they were a year ago when 17 percent of companies surveyed planned to add staff and 3 percent anticipated a reduction in payrolls."
"I haven't had a chance to see the numbers yet but I know there has been a lot of hiring taking place over the last several months," said Plymouth Chamber of Commerce director Doug Anspach. "A lot of our industry is growing and expanding."
For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation and public utilities, wholesale, retail trade and finance, insurance and real estate.
Employers in services voice mixed hiring intentions, while hiring in construction, education and public administration is expected to remain unchanged.