More Local Employers Plan Hiring Freeze

Local job searches will be especially difficult over the next three months. According to a new survey by Manpower employment agency, the percentage of midstate businesses planning to hire is down, and is weaker than the national average.

Eight percent of surveyed employers say they’ll bring on new workers in the coming quarter. That’s a five point drop from the December survey. It’s seven points below the national figure, which went from sixteen to fifteen percent.

Nearly three-quarters of local businesses say they don’t plan to hire, but they won’t let anyone go, either. For many, that means an effective reduction in the size of their workforce, since open positions will be left unfilled.

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