Who's Coming, Who's Going, and Why

There'll be no rest for trainers in 2006, if the latest hiring projections are on target. According to the latest quarterly survey conducted by Milwaukee-based employment services provider Manpower (www.manpower.com), payrolls will continue to be added to throughout the second quarter.

Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed for the quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 30 percent foresee an increase in hiring activity for the second quarter of this year, while just 6 percent expect a reduction in staffing. Fifty-eight percent report no change in hiring plans, and 6 percent have yet to determine their staffing needs.

Hiring plans appear to have settled into a steady pattern. "The U.S. job market has been growing at a safe, incremental pace in recent years, and Manpower's survey data highlights the comfort zone that has emerged from this climate," Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower, says. "Employers have reported similar levels of hiring for nine quarters now, which tells us that they are not willing to throw off equilibrium with radical shifts in hiring."

No matter what sector you're in, the stream of new hires to orient and train should remain strong. Employers in sectors such as construction, durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/retail trade, finance/insurance, real estate and services, all report little change in hiring as they look toward the second quarter, Manpower reports.

Meanwhile, the employees you do let go may just make a comeback, a survey conducted by Philadelphia-based workforce consultancy Right Management, reveals (www.right.com). A poll of more than 14,000 displaced employees from more than 4,900 organizations throughout North America who found new jobs last year using Right Management's services, found that 13 percent who had previously been laid off were rehired by their former employers. The survey found that 54 percent of employers are at least occasionally rehiring former employees who were displaced by earlier downsizings.

At the other end of the spectrum, those employees who leave of their own accord often do so for reasons that have nothing to do with their wallet, reports Los Angeles-based executive search and workplace consultancy Korn/Ferry International (www.kornferry.com).

Based on a global survey of executive respondents who had registered online with the firm between December 2005 and February 2006, only 5 percent cited inadequate or inconsistent compensation as the primary reason for leaving their last job.

When asked which improvement would make the biggest difference in organizations' ability to retain talent, four in 10, or 42 percent, cited empowering employees to make decisions.

Other responses included opportunities for advancement and career development (32 percent) and better work/life quality (16 percent). —M.W.

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