Southeastern Wisconsin employers are expected to hire at a healthy pace in the first quarter of 2016, according to the latest data from Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup.
Among Milwaukee-area employers surveyed in the most recent Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 24 percent plan to hire more employees during the first quarter, while 5 percent plan to reduce payrolls and 71 percent expect to maintain current staff levels. That yields a positive net employment outlook of 19 percent for the area.
Building on presentations delivered at the World Economic Forum’s 2016 meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jonas Prising, chairman and chief executive officer of ManpowerGroup, will share insights into key labor and business trends impacting the future world of work at the Northern Trust Economic Trends Conference presented by BizTimes Media on Jan. 29.
“The world of work is in the midst of a structural transition on par with the Industrial Revolution, at an unprecedented pace and scale,” Prising said. “Forces like technology, changing demographics, and globalization are accelerating rapidly, making old ways of working obsolete and giving rise to new models of employment. As this new age of work emerges, talent is the clear driver of business success, and will determine winners and losers in a global market.”
Prising was named ManpowerGroup chairman in December 2015 and CEO in May 2014. ManpowerGroup serves more than 400,000 clients and employs 3.4 million people across 80 countries and territories.
Prising is a recognized expert on the labor market and world of work trends. At the Economic Trends event, he will address how Manpower Group sees individual and employer needs changing in terms of talent sources, work models and people practices, and how he sees talent management evolving in the workforce of the future.
For the Milwaukee area, 2016 job prospects appear best in manufacturing, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, information, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality and other services, according to the Manpower Employer Outlook Survey.
The numbers are similar statewide, with 24 percent of Wisconsin employers planning to hire more employees during the first quarter, while 8 percent expect to reduce payrolls, 66 percent expect to maintain their current workforce and 2 percent were unsure of their hiring plans. That yields a net employment outlook of 16 percent for the state.
Nationally, of the more than 11,000 employers surveyed, 20 percent expect to add to their workforce and 6 percent expect a decline in their payrolls during the first quarter of 2016.
