Survey: Employment Outlook Steady for 2007

Employers appear ready to start the new year with steady hiring plans.

The Manpower quarterly survey of 14-thousand employers in the U.S. found they expect hiring to continue in 2007 at about the same pace as during the past two years.

Nearly a quarter of the employers say they expect to add to their payrolls next year, while eleven percent expect to reduce their work force. But 60 percent don't expect any change and six percent are undecided about hiring plans.

The weakest hiring plans are in four sectors: construction, durable goods manufacturing, transportation and public utilities, and finance, insurance and real estate.

The survey also found geographical differences. Hiring plans are steady among employers in the Midwest, trending higher in the Northeast and lower in the West and the South.