Forecast: Strong Perm and Seasonal Hiring Ahead

Forecast: Strong Perm and Seasonal Hiring Ahead

CB 4th Q 2015 forecastJob growth may have slowed in August and September, and staffing’s outlook is less robust than it has been, but CareerBuilder says this fourth quarter could see some of the strongest hiring since 2006.

Its quarterly hiring forecast says 34 percent of U.S. employers plan to add full-time, permanent workers before the end of the year. Almost the same percentage of employers (33 percent) say they’ll be hiring seasonal workers. Retailers, who collectively hire the bulk of the temporary holiday employees, are even more sure they’ll be hiring. CareerBuilder’s survey founds 53 percent of retail employers expect to add seasonal workers, a full 10 point jump over last year.

“Our study is reflecting a durability in the U.S. economy and labor market,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Employer confidence is widespread and the strongest we’ve seen since 2006.”

Pay, too, he said, is expected to improve over last year. The survey found 37 percent of employers planning to increase pay for their seasonal hires, an increase of 10 points from 2014. Seventy-two percent will pay $10 or more per hour while 19 percent will pay $16 or more.

According to the survey, which CareerBuilder and its partner Harris Poll conduct quarterly, 39 percent of employers added to their full-time permanent workforce in the 3rd quarter. That was 5 points more than CareerBuilder predicted in its mid-year job forecast, and five points over the 34 percent of employers who added permanent workers in the same period last year.

U.S. jobless claims fall 6,000 to 271,000

U.S. jobless claims fall 6,000 to 271,000

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 to 271,000 in the seven days ended August 22, the first decline after four straight weekly gains. The latest report on initial claims indicate the labor market is still improving. initial claims have clung below the key 300,000 threshold for 25 weeks, the longest stretch in more than 15 years. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast initial claims to fall to 270,000. The average of new claims over the past month, meanwhile, edged up by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 272,500, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average smooths out sharp fluctuations in the more volatile weekly report and is seen as a more accurate predictor of labor-market trends. Continuing jobless claims increased by 13,000 to 2.27 million in the week ended Aug. 15. These claims reflect people already receiving unemployment checks.