Employers in the U.S. report cautiously optimistic hiring plans for Q1, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, with 21% planning to add to their payrolls during the quarter.

According to the report, The annual survey "covered more than 6,700 employers within the United States, including all 50 states, the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to measure hiring intentions for the first quarter of 2021. The mix of industries within the survey follows the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) supersectors and is structured to be representative of the U.S. economy." The Net Employment Outlook is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity and subtracting from this the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring activity.

The survey divides the US into four regions (west, midwest, south, and northeast).

Highlights

• The midwestern US emerges as the region with the strongest hiring plans, with an outlook above 20%. The southern US follows, with a planned increase of over 17%.
• When compared with this time one year ago, hiring prospects are moderately weaker in the south and decline slightly in the west and the northeast.
• Of the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States, all reported positive plans for the quarter. The Cape Coral region showed the strongest gains, at 42%, while the Las Vegas area came in at just 1%.
• Employers in all major sectors are planning to add to payrolls in Q1. The biggest winners are: Leisure & Hospitality (+26%), Transportation & Utilities (+22%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+20%).
• Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (+19%) showed the largest quarter-over-quarter gain.
• Vermont (+56%), Montana (+38%) and Iowa, (+31%) led the states in terms of gains over Q4. Nevada (+1%) and Kentucky (+2%) had the lowest outlooks.
• Employers in Leisure and Hospitality (+26%), Transportation and Utilities (+22%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (+20%) report the three strongest outlooks for the second consecutive quarter as employers re-hire furloughed workers and the rise in e-commerce continues through the holiday season

"As the labor market navigates the impact of the pandemic, it's encouraging to see hiring outlooks continue to move in a positive direction on the road to recovery." Said Becky Frankiewicz, President of ManpowerGroup North America. "As Americans shop, socialize and work from multi-functional homes, operations and logistics roles to support e-commerce are in high demand and we are beginning to see green shoots in manufacturing too as supply chains reopen. Organizations are navigating for today while preparing their workforce for the New Next. We're pleased to see so many U.S. employers prioritize putting the "human" back into HR, focusing on employee well-being and skills development while implementing flexible work models so people can blend work and home for the long term."

To view complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, visit: www.manpowergroup.com/meos.