Report: March 2010 hiring will inch up

The Society for Human Resource Management’s LINE Report, s monthly survey of human resources managers in more than 1,000 companies across the country, shows March 2010 hiring is expected to rise, compared with one year ago.

“Though overall the labor market continues to struggle, LINE is revealing some positive trends,” said Jennifer Schramm, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at the Society for Human Resource Management. “March marks the fifth month in a row in which hiring is up on an annual basis. HR professionals in manufacturing are reporting hiring rates at levels not seen since June 2008, and the percentage of companies hiring in the service sector is the highest since July 2007.”

Among the findings detailed in the LINE Report:

The manufacturing sector year-over-year numbers show that more employers plan to hire in March 2010 than they did March 2009. Of the companies surveyed, 33.7 percent said they plan to hire this month compared with 19.6 percent that laid off workers one year ago.

An uptick in manufacturing hiring would be a boon for the Sunshine State. Between July 2008 to July 2009, Florida lost 42,300 manufacturing jobs, said the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the service sector, 46.5 percent of companies said they will add jobs in March 2010 compared with 8.5 percent a year ago. The data also shows that the number of service companies planning to add jobs this month marks the highest level since July 2007.

The metro Orlando region lost 10 percent of its business and professional services jobs between July 2008 to July 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

March marks the ninth straight month that more companies will hire rather than cut jobs in manufacturing, and the 11th consecutive month for such in the service sector.

The Society for Human Resource Management’s LINE Report is based on a monthly survey of human resources professionals at more than 500 manufacturing and 500 private service-sector companies.

Together, these two sectors comprise more than 90 percent of America’s private sector employment.

The Society for Human Resource Management represents more than 250,000 members in more than 140 countries.

Source: Orlando Biz Chronicle