Hiring is expected to grow in April and the second quarter, according to two reports from the Society for Human Resource Management.
The SHRM Leading Indicators of National Employment Report finds that service-sector hiring is projected to increase for the ninth consecutive month while manufacturing-sector hiring is expected to drop.
Still, 50.3 percent of manufacturing-sector respondents plan to hire in April while 12.5 percent of manufacturing-sector respondents say they expect to let go of employees for a hiring net of 37.8 percent.
Recommended For You
Among service-sector respondents, 49.4 percent say they anticipate bringing on more workers, and 7.6 percent of service-sector respondents say they foresee reducing employee levels, marking a hiring net of 41.8 percent. This leaves 43 percent of service-sector respondents expecting to maintain staffing numbers.
"Both sectors also report high numbers of job vacancies," said Jennifer Schramm, GPHR and manager of workplace trends and forecasting at SHRM. "It may be that increased hiring expectations are leading to more vacancies in both exempt and nonexempt jobs, or perhaps it's taking longer to find candidates with the skills necessary to fill the job."
Meanwhile, the SHRM Jobs Outlook Survey finds that second-quarter hiring is expected to grow.
When it comes to job growth during the second quarter, 41 percent of HR professionals report feeling somewhat optimistic, and 9 percent of HR professionals say they are very optimistic. Between April and June, only 6 percent of respondents anticipate cutting staff, and 44 percent of respondents plan to hire. Another 50 percent of respondents expect to maintain staffing numbers.
Regarding recruiting, the SHRM LINE Report also reveals that more service-sector respondents had difficulty in finding qualified job candidates in March. However, recruiting difficulty declined among manufacturing-sector respondents.
Finally, new-hire compensation dropped in both sectors, and most respondents report maintaining new-hire compensation rates.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
