Sacramento Quarterly Employment Trends
Job demand & hiring trends for local companies in the 1st Quarter of 2014

Hiring Pace and Economic Expectations Rising
Three quarters of Sacramento’s top employers are optimistic about the economy in the New Year and those expectations will keep them busy hiring through Q1. When asked directly seventy-six percent (76%) of human resource contacts were optimistic about economic growth and job markets in the Sacramento region for 2014.

Polled directly by telephone, that optimism is reflected in hiring activity as sixty percent (60%) of top companies say they are planning to hire in January, February and March. This is a slightly more rapid pace of hiring than last year’s Q1 when fifty-seven percent (57%) were hiring with thirty-six percent (36%) motivated to hire for growth, or workforce expansion in 2013.  Q1 2014 finds forty-two percent (42%) hiring for growth, with thirty-eight percent (38%) hiring for attrition, or replacements among existing workers in the first three months.

These are significant improvements in the market from regional employment and economic conditions just four years ago. As Pacific Staffing discovered then, the first three months of 2009 sent the market crashing with hiring freezes, workforce reductions, furloughs and shortened workweeks, massive layoffs and companies going out of business as the national recession hit the area. That’s history as seventy-four percent (74%) of those surveyed also say they expect their companies to grow in 2014.

While the majority of HR contacts were positive about Q1 2014, thirteen percent (13%) remain pessimistic the economy would improve in the New Year. Two companies are expecting to reduce their workforce numbers due to seasonal change in the first threemonths of the year.

Skills Demand?
As the economy improves employers are beginning to share concerns about retention of essential skills, the need for specific technical backgrounds and some entry-level positions. Drivers who can pass DMV, drug and other background checks are in demand among distributors, bottling plants, construction supply and materials firms.  Customer service, sales, manufacturing, warehouse and shipping lead hiring demand.

100 Sacramento Regional Top Companies By Industry:
35% are Service, 36% are Manufacturers, 18% are Construction and 11% are Retail