Lawrence labor market ‘looking up’
Lawrence companies are more upbeat about their hiring plans than they were at this time last year, according to a new survey by Manpower Inc.
But Nancy Slabaugh, Lawrence manager for Manpower, said the results weren’t a sure sign the area is emerging from employment doldrums.
| The Lawrence-area workforce is expected to see a net increase of 10 percent between October and December.Here’s a look at the projected net increases of other cities in the state.Emporia 27 percentSalina 20 percentTopeka 17 percentManhattan 17 percentWichita 13 percentHutchinson 4 percent |
“I would say the employment outlook is looking up compared to last year,” she said. “But we were going through such a questionable period at this time last year. Really anything this year would look better than last year.”
The survey shows 17 percent of area businesses plan to expand their work force from October through December. Seven percent plan to cut back, for a net increase of 10 percent.
Last year, 10 percent predicted expansion, while 3 percent anticipated declines, for a net increase of 7 percent. Three months ago, 27 percent of Lawrence-area businesses surveyed predicted increases in their employment, while none predicted decreases.
Slabaugh said area employers were feeling better about the future than they were a year ago, when all the headlines in the national news were predicting a major economic downturn. But she said Lawrence employers still aren’t convinced they’re pulling out of the recession.
“My personal theory is that the Midwest has been the last to get hit by this recession,” Slabaugh said. “I think in Douglas County we’re just now seeing some of the effects of 9-11.”
The survey suggests the Lawrence economy is adding employees at a pace slower than the statewide average . Lawrence’s net increase of 10 percent was less than the statewide average increase of 15 percent.
The report suggested the best employment opportunities would be in durable goods manufacturing, retail trade, and finance, insurance and real estate companies.
Slabaugh, though, called hiring activity relatively slow “across the board.” She said that wasn’t necessarily the best news for Lawrence employees, like the 130 workers at Davol who recently received layoff notices.
“I still believe there are jobs out there, but they may not be comparable to what they have right now, and they may have to look harder because there is a big number of applicants out there right now,” Slabaugh said. “It will be a little more of a challenge than it has been in the past.
“We’re still seeing a lot of people come in who have been looking for jobs for several months and not having much luck.”