Wisconsin’s 3-Month Hiring Forecast Looks Strong, Says Milwaukee Firm

A new employment survey finds that for the next three months, Wisconsin’s hiring picture will be better than that of the U.S. as a whole.

The Milwaukee-based temporary services firm Manpower group says that during the first quarter of 2015, 24 percent of Wisconsin employers plan to add workers, while 6 percent forecast layoffs. The net increase is a few points better than the one predicted for the U.S.

Manpower official Chris Layden said there’s strength in all workplace sectors.

“This is putting more strain in already tight markets in specialized skills like engineering and IT,” said Layden.

Layden said the Milwaukee-West Allis-Waukesha market has the fourth-best hiring forecast among the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. However, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report this week suggested that over the last four years, job gains in suburban counties have far outpaced those in Milwaukee County.