Hiring to remain 'stable' yet 'sluggish'
US staffing levels are predicted to decline slightly in the fourth quarter, but other countries' labor markets may rebound earlier.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Employers will keep staff levels stable for the rest of the year, but U.S. hiring expectations are among the lowest around the world, according to a report released Tuesday.
Almost 70% of U.S. companies surveyed expect no change in their fourth-quarter hiring plans, said employment services company Manpower Inc. The report surveyed 28,000 employers in 200 metropolitan areas.
While 12% said they expect to increase workers in the fourth quarter, 14% predicted a decrease, the survey said. The remaining 5% were undecided.
After seasonal adjustment, those responses resulted in a 3% decrease in the overall employment outlook, Manpower said. That's the weakest level since the report started in 1962.
The report, of course, comes amid continued and widespread weakness in the labor market. On Friday, the government's monthly jobs report showed that the unemployment jumped in August to 9.7%, a 26-year high. Friday's data were especially disappointing because the jobless rate had fallen the previous month for the first time in 15 months.
"Hiring intentions ... continue to be sluggish," Manpower Chief Executive Jeff Joerres said in a statement. "We have yet to see the robust hiring intentions that would indicate a full labor market recovery."
Regional results. While all four regions of the United States reported "considerably weaker" outlooks year-over-year, some fared better than others when compared with the third quarter.
The South indicated a slight increase in employer optimism, while the West and Midwest remained relatively stable. The Northeast reported the weakest outlook.
Sector by sector: Employers' responses were mixed across industries. Companies in the mining, information, financial activities and "other services" sectors expect hiring to stay relatively stable compared with the third quarter.
The manufacturing, wholesale/retail trade and government employers expected a slight decrease in hiring, while transportation/utilities and professional/business services predicted a moderate decline. Construction and leisure/hospitality industries reported "considerably weaker" hiring plans.
Education/health services was the only sector to report a "modest increase" in fourth quarter hiring.
International responses: U.S. readings were the weakest overall in a related global report from Manpower.
In the international report, employers in 17 of 35 countries said they expect more hiring activity in the upcoming quarter. But 15 countries expected a decrease, with 10 of those reporting their weakest hiring plans in the survey's history.
India, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and China posted the strongest results. Almost two-thirds of the countries surveyed said hiring expectations "have improved somewhat" over the last quarter. 
