Pacific Staffing
Sacramento Quarterly Employment Trends
Job demand & hiring trends for local companies in the 2nd Quarter of 2010
Employers in Sacramento are warming up to increasing demands for products and services by planning to hire additions to their current workforce in Q2 of 2010. While some specific industry segments remain weak, Pacific Staffing has discovered that hiring attributed to the need for more workers rose to thirty-seven percent (37%) of overall demand in the latest telephone poll of 100 top companies. At this period last year, just fourteen percent (14%) planned growth hiring in the months of April, May and June. This was also the second Quarter this year to demonstrate increased motivation by employers to grow. Twenty-percent (20%) of hiring in January, February and March was attributed to demand for workforce growth.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of the Sacramento regional companies polled between Feb. 22 and March 18th report plans to hire in the second Quarter. In contrast, and a virtual reversal of the survey numbers, fifty-nine percent (59%) of employers weren’t hiring anyone during these same months in 2009.
As the weather heats up in Sacramento, twenty-percent (20%) of hiring is motivated by seasonal changes in April, May and June according to regional employers contacted.
EXTRA INDICATOR: When asked if more employees were requesting time off for vacations this year than last year, twenty-two percent of HR contacts said, “Yes.” A greater confidence in workforce stability and economic recovery would be indicated as 10% of Service, 4% of Manufacturers, 4% of Construction and 4% of Retail companies report more workers taking time off in the months ahead than at this time last year.
Some economic uncertainty remains with weakness in hiring demand problematic in specific industry segments including printing/publishing, manufactured housing, construction and auto retail.
Skills Demand
The demand for sales and technical skills are both in high demand in the next three months. Sacramento regional HR contacts also report needs for workers with customer service, manufacturing and construction trades experience in the next Quarter.
Workforce Challenge?
The greatest ongoing workplace and human resources challenge concerning employers remains the cost of healthcare benefits. Secondarily, HR professionals remain concerned about continued recovery of the economy and greater demand for products and services.
100 Sacramento Regional Top Companies By Industry:
42% are Service, 35% are Manufacturers, 15% are Construction
and 8% are Retail