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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > June 17, 2009
Survey says local employers more optimistic about third quarter
Published June 17, 2009 - BizTimes Daily
The vast majority of employers in Wisconsin and northern Illinois expect their businesses to either improve or remain the same in the third quarter, according to the latest survey by QPS Companies, a Brookfield-based staffing and recruiting firm.
QPS surveyed more than 300 manufacturers, banks, printers, distributors and information technology firms throughout the region as part of its regular employment forecasting survey.
According to the survey, 87 percent of local companies expect their business to improve or remain the same in the third quarter. Forty-one percent expect business to improve, while 46 percent expect business to remain the same and 13 percent expect business to decline. The numbers are an improvement over the second quarter, when 54 percent expected conditions to decline.
Among the hiring trends in the survey:
- 21 percent anticipate increasing staff for third quarter, up from 15 percent in the second quarter.
- 16 percent anticipate decreasing staff, down from 26 percent in the second quarter.
- 63 percent anticipate no change in staffing levels, up from 59 percent in the second quarter.
According to the survey, the biggest issues facing local companies are the economy (91 percent), insurance costs (26 percent), material costs (20 percent) and receivables (17 percent).
QPS employs more than 4,000 associate employees weekly and works with more than 1,000 companies in Wisconsin and Illinois.
