Survey Finds Wisconsin Employment Outlook Is Strong Compared To Other States

Wisconsin ranks relatively high among states in a new survey about employment for the next three months, though it lags some neighboring states.

The quarterly forecast from the Milwaukee-based Manpower Group asked 18,000 employers across the United States about their hiring plans. Among Wisconsin employers in the survey, 28 percent expect to add workers, while 5 percent predict layoffs, for a net outlook of 23 percent.

That figure is above the national average of 14 percent. Manpower’s Chris Layden said Wisconsin is tied for sixth among all states. He said we’re ahead of Illinois, but still trailing some others in the Midwest.

“If you look south to our border, Illinois ranked at only 13 percent employment outlook,” said Laden. “We fared quite well against Illinois. But if you look east and west, Michigan and Minnesota actually ranked in the top 5 at 26 percent net employment outlook.”

Layden said that despite the relatively high ranking, Wisconsin shares a problem with most other states: Almost two-thirds of employers expect no change in staffing. He said not many are doing anticipatory hiring.

“We’re not seeing companies hiring ahead of demand,” said Layden. “What companies are doing right now is they’re looking at demand for products and service. They have growth plans, but they’re not hiring ahead of where that revenue projection is.”

Job growth is expected in Wisconsin in all fields, except for what Manpower calls “other services, ” which encompasses jobs in repair and maintenance, dry cleaning, barber shops, and beauty salons.