Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Reveals Steady U.S. Hiring Plans for Fourth Quarter 2007

    MILWAUKEE, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- U.S. employers plan to
 maintain a stable, yet cautious approach toward hiring in the final quarter
 of 2007, according to the seasonally adjusted results of the latest
 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey conducted quarterly by Manpower Inc.
     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060221/CGTU012LOGO)
     "It is not unexpected that U.S. employers have conservative hiring
 plans for the fourth quarter," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman & CEO of
 Manpower Inc. "The market forces that impact hiring do not conclusively
 point toward growth or decline, and that is a likely contributor to the
 prudent hiring trends apparent in the survey throughout 2007."
     Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 27% expect to increase their
 workforces during the fourth quarter of 2007, while 9% expect to trim their
 payrolls. Fifty-eight percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6%
 are undecided about their hiring plans.
     The seasonally adjusted survey results show that in the majority of
 industry sectors the hiring pace is expected to remain steady during the
 final months of 2007. Employers in Construction, Durable and Non-Durable
 Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale/Retail Trade, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate,
 Education and Services foresee a hiring climate that is relatively
 unchanged from the third quarter forecast. Mining and Transportation/Public
 Utilities employers anticipate a slight downturn in hiring pace, while
 employers in the Public Administration sector foresee improved job
 prospects compared to the previous quarter.
     "Companies that deal with producing goods are struggling, but the
 service sector is doing very well," said Jonas Prising, President of
 Manpower North America. "We can clearly see this trend in the survey
 results, with Services employers reporting the strongest hiring intentions
 for the fourth quarter, and those in the Manufacturing and Construction
 sectors coming in with weaker employment projections."
     At the regional level, job prospects are most vigorous in the West and
 weakest in the Northeast for the second consecutive quarter. A notable
 milestone, Services employers in the West are more optimistic about hiring
 than they have been in more than 25 years of survey data.
 Quarter-over-quarter comparisons show that employers in the Northeast,
 Midwest, South and West expect hiring to remain stable for the next three
 months.
     In addition to the United States, the Manpower Employment Outlook
 Survey is conducted in 26 other countries and territories. The quarterly
 report from Manpower Inc. is the most extensive, forward-looking employment
 survey in the world, gathering data from nearly 52,000 employers across the
 globe each quarter.
     The strongest fourth quarter hiring prospects reported globally were in
 Peru, India, Singapore, Costa Rica, Argentina, Japan, Australia, New
 Zealand, South Africa and Hong Kong. Italian employers again reported the
 least robust hiring plans globally. Employers in 11 countries and
 territories are reporting improved hiring plans compared to the third
 quarter, while job prospects are expected to improve in 14 countries on a
 year-over-year basis.
     In the Americas, employers in Peru, Costa Rica and Argentina are most
 optimistic about hiring in the next three months. Mexican employers
 continue to report strong hiring expectations, while the pace of hiring in
 Canada is expected to remain stable from the third quarter to the fourth,
 but be slightly slower compared to the fourth quarter of 2006.
     Of the countries surveyed in Europe, employers in Norway, Sweden, Spain
 and Germany are most optimistic about adding to their workforces. Hiring
 expectations in all of these countries increased moderately compared to the
 fourth quarter of 2006. In contrast, hiring optimism among Irish employers
 fell considerably from one year ago.
     Employers across the eight countries and territories surveyed in the
 Asia Pacific region are reporting varying degrees of positive hiring
 expectations. Employer optimism increased from the third quarter and one
 year ago in four of eight countries and territories surveyed. The strongest
 hiring plans were reported in India, Singapore, Japan and Australia, while
 employers in Taiwan and China reported the weakest hiring outlooks in the
 region.
     The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on
 December 11, 2007, to report hiring expectations for the first quarter of
 2008.
     About the Survey
     The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conducted quarterly to
 measure employers' intentions to increase or decrease the number of
 employees in their workforce during the next quarter. It is the most
 extensive forward-looking survey of its kind, unparalleled in its size,
 scope, longevity and area of focus. The Survey has been running for more
 than 40 years and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity
 in the world. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on interviews
 with nearly 52,000 public and private employers worldwide and is considered
 a highly respected economic indicator.
     The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is currently available for 27
 countries and territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada,
 China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy,
 Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Singapore, Spain,
 South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the
 United States. The program began in the United States and Canada in 1962,
 and the United Kingdom was added in 1966. Mexico and Ireland launched the
 survey in 2002, and 13 additional countries were added to the program in
 2003. New Zealand joined the program in 2004, China, India, Switzerland and
 Taiwan were added in 2005, and Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and South Africa
 joined in 2006. For more information, visit the Manpower Inc. Web site at
 http://www.manpower.com and enter the Research Center.
     About Manpower Inc.
     Manpower Inc. is a world leader in the employment services industry;
 creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the
 changing world of work. The $18 billion company offers employers a range of
 services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent,
 temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection;
 training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide
 network of 4,400 offices in 73 countries and territories enables the
 company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small
 and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's
 largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on
 raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and
 cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to
 concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under
 five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and
 Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at
 http://www.us.manpower.com.
 
 

SOURCE Manpower Inc.