J.R. Childress is up before the sun, bustling about in the French colonial brick house he built.If attitude is everything, the economy is about to turn the corner.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today indicates a positive viewpoint among the 18,000 companies polled nationwide, compared with a mostly gloomy mindset during the same period a year ago.
And seasonally adjusted data show that 5 percent expect to hire in the fourth quarter, up from 1 percent during the same period last year.
But let’s not sugarcoat the situation: 71 percent of the employers don’t expect to increase hiring.
Wells Corridor Business Association President Judi Wire said there’s a reason for that.
“None of us know what the economy is going to do,” said Wire, owner of Great Panes Glass Co. Wire said she laid off her six-person crew in 2008.
“I told my sons I feed you, so you have to help me out for now. We’re all just very, very cautious.”
And while sales at the stained-glass retailer are picking up, “it’s not like it was before” the recession, Wire said.
“I think a lot of businesses are just waiting and seeing.”
Employers in Indiana expect to hire at a modest pace during the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the Manpower survey.
From October to December, 14 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 9 percent expect to reduce payrolls. An additional 70 percent probably will maintain current staff levels and 7 percent aren’t certain.
Manpower Area Manager Joel Daas said local companies are following a national trend of caution.
“They want to make sure the recovery sustains before making any decisions,” he said. “They just don’t have the confidence right now.”
Many companies will take lower risks by hiring from temp agencies, Daas said.
Wire said she understands the reasoning behind that.
“You don’t want to hire someone, only to lay them off,” she said. “That costs money, too.”
Manpower Inc. Chairman CEO Jeff Joerres said job prospects likely will remain slim.
“The hiring intentions for the fourth quarter are not enough to break through the labor market sound barrier that we’re all eagerly anticipating,” he said.
