Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: United States - Q2, 2008

8/9/2019 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: United States - Q2, 2008

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Manpower

EmploymentOutlook SurveyUnited States

A Manpower Research Report

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More than 14,000 interviewshave been conducted withemployers across theUnited States to measureanticipated employmenttrends between Apriland June 2008.

All participants were asked,How do you anticipatetotal employment at yourlocation to change in thethree months to the endof June 2008 as comparedto the current quarter?

Among U.S. employers surveyed, 26% foresee an

increase in hiring activity, and 9% expect a declinein staff levels during Quarter 2 2008. Sixty percentanticipate no change in the hiring pace, while 5%are undecided about their April June hiring plans.

When seasonal variations are removed from the data,the results show that employers expect the rate of hiring to decline when compared to Quarter 1 2008and one year ago at this time.

Please note that throughout this report, the figureused in all graphs is the Net Employment Outlook.

This figure is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity

and subtracting from this the percentage of employersthat expect to see a decrease in employment at their

location in the next quarter.

United States Employment Outlook

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08Net Employment OutlookSeasonally Adjusted Outlook

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Increase Decrease No Change Dont Know Net EmploymentOutlook Seasonally Adjusted

% % % % % %

2nd Quarter 2007 28 7 59 6 21 183rd Quarter 2007 29 7 58 6 22 184th Quarter 2007 27 9 58 6 18 181st Quarter 2008 22 12 60 6 10 172nd Quarter 2008 26 9 60 5 17 14

The results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey in the United States include Puerto Rico.

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Manpower Employment Outlook Survey United States

Compared to three months ago, employers in six of the10 industry sectors surveyed anticipate weaker hiringplans, while those in the remaining four sectors areforecasting relatively stable or improved hiring activity,according to seasonally adjusted survey results.For Quarter 2 2008, Mining, Construction, Durable andNon-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale/Retail

Trade and Public Administration employers foresee adecrease in hiring pace. Hiring is expected to remainrelatively stable in the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate,Services and Education sectors, while Transportation/ Public Utilities employers are more positive aboutemployment prospects.

Compared to the January March period, employersin the West anticipate a considerable decrease in hiringpace while Midwest employers anticipate a moderatedecrease. Employers in the Northeast and South arepredicting hiring conditions similar to Quarter 1 2008.

A look across the regions shows that employers inthe South anticipate the most favorable hiring prospects,while job seekers in the Midwest can expect the weakesthiring conditions.

A quarter-over-quarter comparison shows the weakestemployment prospects since Quarter 1 2004.

According to seasonally adjusted survey results,employers in nine of the 10 industry sectors expectthe hiring pace to remain stable or decline duringQuarter 2 2008. Of the 10 industry sectors surveyed,only Transportation/Public Utilities employers anticipateimproved conditions for job seekers in the comingquarter versus Quarter 1 2008.

Net EmploymentOutlook

Seasonally Adjusted

Increase Decrease No Change Dont Know

% % % %%%Construction 28 13 54 155 3Education 18 7 70 11 125Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 21 8 64 7 13 12Manufacturing Durables 27 11 56 6 16 13Manufacturing Non-Durables 24 9 62 5 1315Mining 29 7 59 5 2022

Public Administration 22 7 65 15 106Services 29 7 59 5 22 19

Transportation & Public Utilities 26 8 60 6 18 18Wholesale & Retail Trade 26 11 57 6 15 14

At the overall national level, the margin of error on the data is +/ 0.8%.

Net Employment Seasonal lyIncrease Decrease No Change Dont KnowOutlook Adjusted

% % % %MidwestNortheast 27 10 58 5 17 16

26 7 61 6 19 17

23 9 64 4 14 10

SouthWest 28 12 52 8 16 14

% %


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Regional ComparisonsMidwest +14 (10)%

Twenty-three percent of employers surveyed in the

Midwest expect to increase their workforces, and 9%anticipate a decrease in hiring pace, leading to a NetEmployment Outlook of 14%. When seasonal variationsare removed from the data, the Quarter 2 2008employment forecast is moderately weaker than lastquarter. Among the regions surveyed, employers inthe Midwest report the weakest hiring pace forQuarter 2 2008.

Employers in seven of the 10 industry sectors surveyedin the Midwest predict a decline in hiring compared toQuarter 1 2008. Construction, Mining, Durable andNon-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale/Retail

Trade, Education and Services employers foresee adownturn in hiring. Transportation/Public Utilities,Finance/Insurance/Real Estate and Public

Administration employers anticipate a hiring pace similarto the January March plans.


Seasonally Adjusted


%%%%% % All Industries 23 9 64 4 14 10

Construction 32 13 51 4 19 0Education 710 78 5 3 4Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 16 5 74 5 11 10Manufacturing Durables 23 12 60 5 11 7Manufacturing Non-Durables 24 8 65 3 16 13Mining 0 0 100 0 -20Public Administration 21 11 64 4 10 0Services 24 6 66 4 18 14

Transportation & Public Utilities 23 677 3 16 17Wholesale & Retail Trade 25 10 61 4 15 11

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

Net Employment OutlookSeasonally Adjusted Outlook

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The Midwest Region comprises the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, SouthDakota, Wisconsin.


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Northeast +17 (16)% Among employers surveyed in the Northeast, 27%anticipate an increase in hiring activity and 10% expecta decline in additional payrolls for Quarter 2 2008.

This results in a Net Employment Outlook of 17%.Seasonally adjusted results suggest hiring projectionsare similar to Quarter 1 2008. However, compared witha year ago at this time, employers are less optimisticabout job prospects.

In a quarter-over-quarter comparison, employer hiringconfidence has improved in six of the 10 industrysectors surveyed, including Construction,Wholesale/Retail Trade, Education, Services, Miningand Transportation/Public Utilities compared to Quarter1 2008. Employers in the Durable and Non-DurableGoods Manufacturing sectors anticipate a similar hiringpace to Quarter 1 2008, and Finance/Insurance/RealEstate and Public Administration expect a downturn.


Seasonally Adjusted


%%%%% % All Industries 27 10 58 5 17 16

Construction 34 10 52 4 24 14Education 717 70 6 10 11Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 20 10 64 6 10 8Manufacturing Durables 32 12 50 6 20 20Manufacturing Non-Durables 23 12 59 6 11 10Mining 0 0 100 0 100Public Administration 16 6 72 6 10 8Services 33 6 57 4 27 24



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The Northeast Region comprises the following states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island, Vermont.


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South +19 (17)%In the South, 26% of employers surveyed anticipatean increase in payrolls during the April June period,while 7% plan to reduce staff levels, resulting in a

Net Employment Outlook of 19%. When seasonalvariations are removed from the data, the employmentpicture is stable versus Quarter 1 2008. Employers inthe South are forecasting the most favorable hiringprospects of the regions. Despite positive projectionson the part of employers, this is the weakest anticipatedhiring pace for the South since Quarter 1 2004.

Hiring intentions are relatively stable or slightly improvingwhen compared to Quarter 1 2008 in the DurableGoods Manufacturing, Education, Services and Public

Administration sectors. Employers are less optimisticabout their staffing plans for Quarter 2 2008 in theNon-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Wholesale/Retail

Trade, with a more noticeable decline in the Mining andConstruction sectors. A slight increase in hiring activityis anticipated in the Transportation/Public Utilities andFinance/Insurance/Real Estate industry sectorscompared to January - March.


Seasonally AdjustedIncrease Decrease No Change Dont Know

%%%%% % All Industries 26 7 61 6 19 17

Construction 26 10 58 6 16 7Education 721 68 4 14 17Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 23 8 63 6 15 13Manufacturing Durables 30 8 56 6 22 18Manufacturing Non-Durables 23 7 65 5 16 14Mining 31 4 61 4 2327Public Administration 25 3 65 7 22 18Services 30 5 58 7 25 21



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The South Region comprises the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.


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West +16 (14)% Twenty-eight percent of employers surveyed in theWest are likely to increase staff levels, while 12%expect to trim payrolls during Quarter 2 2008,

creating a Net Employment Outlook of 16%. Accordingto seasonally adjusted survey results, the hiring paceis expected to take a considerable downturn comparedto Quarter 1 2008 and moderately below one year agoat this time. Employers in the West are predicting theregions weakest hiring pace since Quarter 1 2004.

According to employers, the hiring pace is expectedto decline in seven of the 10 industry sectors includingNon-Durable Goods Manufacturing, Mining,Finance/Insurance/Real Estate and Services,with a more measurable decline in the Construction,Wholesale/Retail Trade and Public Administration.

The hiring pace is expected to remain stable in theDurable Goods Manufacturing sector comparedto Quarter 1 2008 and improve in the Transportation/ Public Utilities and Education sectors.


Seasonally Adjusted


%%%%% % All Industries 28 12 52 8 16 14

Construction 21 21 50 8 0 -11Education 727 63 3 20 21Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 24 12 53 11 12 11Manufacturing Durables 30 10 50 10 20 19Manufacturing Non-Durables 28 12 54 6 16 15Mining 38 25 24 13 1213Public Administration 24 12 58 6 12 9Services 32 11 50 7 21 18



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The West Region comprises the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,Washington, Wyoming.


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Sector Comparisons According to the seasonally adjusted data, Miningemployers are forecasting the strongest hiring pacefor the coming quarter. Opportunities for job seekersin the Services and Transportation/Public Utilities industrysectors are also expected to be upbeat. Employers inthe Wholesale/Retail, Durable Goods Manufacturingand Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing industrysectors are forecasting a hopeful hiring environment.Meanwhile, employers in the Construction industrysector are anticipating the weakest second quarterhiring pace among all industry sectors surveyed.

Con s truction

Education

Finance, In s urance & Real E s tate

Manufacturing Durable s

Manufacturing Non-Durable s

Mining

Public Admini s tration

S ervice s

Tran s portation & Public Utilitie s

Whole s ale & Retail Trade

13

3

1112

0

2220

1510

22

18

19

1514

1316

15

18

13

12

Net Employment Outloo k S ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo k

15

5 10 15 20 25


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Construction +15 (3)%In the Construction sector, employers project amoderate decrease in hiring during the April Juneperiod compared to Quarter 1 2008, and the least

optimistic hiring projections of the 10 industry sectorssurveyed. According to seasonally adjusted surveyresults, employers anticipate a considerably steeperdecline compared to Quarter 2 2007.

For Quarter 2 2008, hiring plans are most promisingin the Northeast, while employers in the West expectto take a far more cautious approach to hiring than thosein the other three regions, with job cuts more likely than

job gains.

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Education +11 (12)% According to seasonally adjusted survey results, the hiringpace in the Education sector is expected to remain stablecompared to Quarter 1 2008. Employers report moreconservative hiring plans compared to one year ago.

Among Education employers, hiring expectations are mostpromising in the West, while the slowest hiring pace isexpected in the Midwest.


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Finance, Insurance & Real Estate+13 (12)%

Seasonally adjusted survey results reveal that confidenceamong Finance/Insurance/Real Estate employers isrelatively stable compared to the January Marchperiod. The hiring pace is also moderately slower thanone year ago at this time.

For Quarter 2 2008, hiring is expected to be most activein the South, while Northeast employers are the mostreserved about adding employees.

Manufacturing Durable Goods+16 (13)%When seasonal variations are removed from the data,Durable Goods Manufacturers are less optimistic aboutadding staff compared to the first three months of 2008and one year ago.

Job seekers are likely to find the strongest hiringmarket in the Northeast, and the weakest job prospectsin the Midwest.


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Manufacturing Non-Durable Goods+15 (13)%

The hiring pace in the Non-Durable Goods Manufacturingsector is expected to slow in Quarter 2 2008 comparedto the January March period. Year-over-year, employersreport a more noticeable decline in hiring.

Employers in the West are most likely to staff up,while the hiring landscape in the Northeast indicatesfewer opportunities for job seekers than other regions.

Mining +22 (20)%Mining employers issued weaker hiring plans forthe April June period compared to Quarter 1 2008.Despite the anticipated slowdown, when seasonalvariations are removed from the data, hiring expectationsare the strongest of the 10 industry sectors surveyed.

Regional hiring patterns show that employersin the South expect to offer the most promising jobprospects, while those in the Midwest are the mostreserved about hiring.


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Public Administration +15 (10)%Quarter-over-quarter, job prospects are expectedto decline among Public Administration employers,according to seasonally adjusted data. Employers

are even more cautious about their staffing planscompared to one year ago at this time.

Public Administration employers in the South havethe most confidence about hiring for Quarter 2 2008,while the hiring picture in the Midwest is least optimistic.

Services +22 (19)% The April June hiring pace in the Services sectorremains relatively stable compared to Quarter 1 2008and one year ago, according to seasonally adjusted data.

During the second quarter of 2008, Services employersin the Northeast are most optimistic about employmentprospects, while those in the Midwest express themost conservative hiring sentiments.


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Transportation & Public Utilities+18 (18)%On a seasonally adjusted basis, Transportation/PublicUtilities employers anticipate a slight increase in hiringcompared to Quarter 1 2008, making it the only sectorsurveyed where employers are projecting improvedhiring levels. Similar hiring plans are expected whencompared with those reported one year ago.

Among the regions, employers in the West reportthe strongest hiring intentions, while those in the Southare least likely to add staff.

Wholesale & Retail Trade +15 (14)%In the Wholesale/Retail Trade sector, employers expectthe hiring momentum to decline during Quarter 2 2008,according to seasonally adjusted data. A downturn inhiring pace is also anticipated compared to the sameperiod a year ago.

Those seeking Wholesale/Retail Trade work are likelyto find the most opportunities in the South, while those inthe Midwest are expected to face the most challenges dueto weaker employer confidence levels.


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Global Employment Outlook

Americas

Asia Pacific

AustraliaChinaHong Kong

JapanIndia

New ZealandSingapore

Taiwan

EMEA*

AustriaBelgium

FranceGermany

Ireland

NetherlandsNorway

Spain

UK

Italy

SwitzerlandSweden

Net Employment Outlook



Quarter 2 2008

Quarter 2 2008

Quarter 2 2008

Quarter 1 2008

Quarter 1 2008

Quarter 1 2008

14 (15)1

%4 (8)1

8 (8)1

6 (5)1

7 (12)1

10 (8)1

8

%

%24 (25)1

17 (23)1

20 (22)1

25 (27)1

42

43 (46)1

14 (15)1

4 (6)1

21 (23)1

9 (10)1

6 (10)1

7 (9)1

4 (6)1

13 (8)1

%13 (10)1

6 (7)1

3 (5)1

12 (10)1

5 (8)1

9

%

%31 (28)1

39 (22)1

24 (21)1

30 (30)1

36

62 (60)1

26 (19)1

6 (5)1

15 (14)1

2 (1)1

13 (10)1

6 (6)1

3 (1)1

6 (19)1

16 (20)1

52

16 (10)1

24 (20)1

36

Qtr on Qtr Change

Q1 2008 to Q2 2008

Qtr on Qtr Change

Q1 2008 to Q2 2008

Qtr on Qtr Change

Q1 2008 to Q1 2008

-1 (-7)1

9 (2)1

-2 (-1)1

-3 (0)1

5 (-2)1

-5 (0)1

1

7 (3)1

22 (-1)1

4 (-1)1

5 (3)1

-6

19 (14)1

12 (4)1

2 (-1)1

-6 (-9)1

-7 (-9)1

7 (0)1

-1 (-3)1

-1 (-5)1

-8 (-8)1

3 (3)1

-1 (-1)1

-2 (1)1

0 (0)1

-5 (-1)1

-8

0 (0)1

-6 (-3)1

-8 (-7)1

6 (6)1

5

9 (9)1

7 (6)1

-12 (-12)1

-2 (-2)1

-13 (-13)1

-2 (-1)1

-8 (-7)1

-4 (-4)1

Yr on Yr Change

Q2 2007 to Q2 2008

Yr on Yr Change

Q2 2007 to Q2 2008

Yr on Yr Change

Q2 2007 to Q2 2008

*EMEA Europe, Middle East and Africa.1. Number in parentheses is the Net Employment Outlook when adjusted to remove the impact of seasonal variations in hiring activity. Please note that this datais not available for all countries as a minimum of 13 quarters worth of data is required.

Quarter 2 2007

%

Quarter 2 2007

%31 (28)1

19 (13)1

17

21 (16)1

3124 (24)1

45 (25)1

32 (28)1

53 (51)1

Quarter 2 2007

%10 (7)1

7 (8)1

5 (4)1Czech Republic 12

12 (10)1

18 (17)1Greece 23

10 (9)1

17 (16)1

15 (14)1South Africa 27 23 -4 -1134

Poland 30 Romania 36

15 (11)1

14 (13)1

7 (5)1

25 (19)1

22 (20)1

Costa Rica 32 33 1 1320

48United States 10 (17) 1 17 (14) 1 7 (-3) 1 -4 (-4) 121 (18) 1

Canada

MexicoPeru

10 (-9)1

8 (0)1

-16

-9 (-9)136 3235 Argentina -4 -3

2 (0)1 21Guatemala

-12


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Over 55,000 employers have been interviewed across32 countries and territories to measure anticipatedemployment trends* between April and June 2008.Hiring activity is expected to be positive, but the majorityof employers in Europe and the Americas are lessoptimistic about adding employees in the quarter aheadin comparison to Quarter 2 2007. Notably, employers in

Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong are reporting theirmost optimistic hiring intentions since the survey wasestablished there. New to the survey this quarter areresults for the Czech Republic, Greece, Guatemala,Poland and Romania.

Employers in Singapore, India, Romania, Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Poland, Hong Kong, Australia, Greece andSouth Africa are reporting the most optimistic second

quarter hiring plans globally. Conversely, employers inSpain and Italy report the weakest job prospects for thequarter ahead. Employers in 16 countries andterritories are reporting less optimistic hiring intentionscompared to three months ago; seven are reportingimproved Outlooks; and four indicate there will be nochange in their workforces. When compared to Quarter2 2007 the picture is similar: Outlooks are softer in 17countries and territories; seven report improved hiringplans; and three indicate staffing needs will not change.

Regionally, employers across most of the Americascontinue to report positive, but generally weaker NetEmployment Outlooks compared to both Quarter 12008 and Quarter 2 2007. Employers in Peru and CostaRica are anticipating the strongest hiring plans in theregion, while in the United States job prospects are theweakest since Quarter 1 2004. Labor markets in AsiaPacific are expected to remain active, with employers inSingapore, India and Hong Kong reporting the mostoptimistic Outlooks. In the Europe, Middle East & Africa(EMEA) region, Outlooks softened from three monthsago in eight countries, and employers in 10 countriesare reporting weaker hiring plans compared to Quarter 22007. The most optimistic Outlooks were reported byemployers in Romania and Poland. Notably, theOutlooks for Austria, France and Germany were eitherstable or slightly improved compared to Quarter 2 2007.No negative Net Employment Outlooks were reportedfor Quarter 2 2008.

* Comments in this section are based on seasonally adjusted datawhere available.

As ia Pacific30%

EMEA28%

America s42%

Survey Respondents by RegionResearch for the Quarter 2 2008 ManpowerEmployment Outlook Survey involved surveying over55,000 human resource directors and senior hiringmanagers from public and private organizationsworldwide. 42% of the respondents came from sevencountries in the Americas; 30% from eight countriesand territories across Asia Pacific; and 28% from17 countries in EMEA.


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Argentina joined the survey in Q1 2007.

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4030

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10

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-20Net Employment Outloo kNet Employment Outloo k

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Argentina50

4030

20

10

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-20Net Employment Outloo kNet Employment Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo k

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Canada

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Costa Rica joined the survey in Q3 2006.

Net Employment Outloo kNet Employment Outloo k

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Costa Rica

International Comparisons Americas

Over 23,000 interviews have been conducted across

Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico,Peru and the United States to measure anticipatedhiring activity for Quarter 2 2008. Employers across theseven countries surveyed in this region are reportingvarying degrees of positive hiring activity. However,Outlooks weakened in four countries when comparedto both three months ago and Quarter 2 2007.

As was the case in Quarter 1, employers in Peru, CostaRica and Argentina are the most optimistic about hiringin the next three months. Notably, Mexican employersreport the same steady, upbeat hiring plans seen overthe past five quarters. Meanwhile, to the north, employersin both the United States and Canada are less optimisticabout adding staff than they were three months ago andin Quarter 2 2007. The Outlook for Canada weakenedconsiderably year-over-year and is the weakest forecastfor this country in 11 years. Surveyed for the first timethis quarter, Guatemalan employers anticipate a stronghiring pace in the next three months.

Guatemala joined the survey in Q2 2008.

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Guatemala


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-20S ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo k Net Employment Outloo kNet Employment Outloo k

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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20

10

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China joined the survey in Q2 2005.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

S ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo k

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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India joined the survey in Q3 2005.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Australia China

Hong Kong India

International Comparisons Asia Pacific

Over 16,000 interviews have been conducted across

the Asia Pacific region to measure anticipated hiringactivity between April and June 2008. Employeroptimism increased from Quarter 1 2008 and Quarter 22007 in four of eight countries and territories surveyed.

Employer hiring expectations are strongest again inSingapore and India, while employers in Taiwan andChina are reporting the regions least optimistic hiring

expectations. Interestingly, the Outlook declined onboth a quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year basisacross all Chinese industry sectors surveyed. TheOutlooks reported for Australia, Hong Kong andSingapore are the most optimistic reported by employerssince the surveys were established there in Quarter 32003. Regionally, job prospects in the Services sectorare expected to improve, as employers in six of eightcountries are reporting stronger Outlooks compared toQuarter 2 2007. The survey included seasonally adjusteddata for the first time this quarter in China and Taiwan.


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Japan50

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008


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20

10

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-20

New Zealand joined the survey in Q2 2004.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

New Zealand

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70

Net Employment Outloo kNet Employment Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo kS ea s onally Adju s ted Outloo k

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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20

10

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-20

Taiwan joined the survey in Q2 2005.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008


Singapore Taiwan


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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Austria Belgium

France

Germany

International Comparisons EMEAOver 15,000 interviews have been conducted with

employers across 17 EMEA countries to measureanticipated hiring activity for Quarter 2 2008. Employersacross the region continue to report varying degrees of positive hiring activity, although employers in 10 of thecountries are reporting less optimistic Net EmploymentOutlooks compared to Quarter 2 2007.

Employers in Romania, Poland, Greece, South Africaand Norway are the most optimistic about adding totheir workforces. In contrast, hiring optimism amongIrish and Spanish employers fell considerably from oneyear ago, with the Spanish Outlook being the weakestin the region and the weakest for this country since thesurvey was established there. Notably, compared toQuarter 2 2007, Outlooks improved slightly in Austriaand France, while the Outlook remained stable inGermany. Employer hiring plans in the UK aremoderately weaker year-over-year.

Czech Republic joined the survey in Q2 2008.

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40

30

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10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Czech Republic

Greece joined the survey in Q2 2008.

50

40

30

20

10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Greece


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South Africa Spain50

40

30

20

10

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-20

South Africa joined the survey in Q4 2006.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

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40

30

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10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Netherlands Norway50

40

30

20

10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

50

40

30

20

10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Italy50

40

30

20

10

0

-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Ireland50

40

30

20

10

0

-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Poland joined the survey in Q2 2008.

50

40

30

20

10

0

-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Poland

Romania joined the survey in Q2 2008.

50

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Romania


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Switzerland

UK

50

40

30

20

10

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-20

Switzerland joined the survey in Q3 2005.No bar indicates Net Employment Outlook of zero.


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

50

40

30

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Sweden50

40

30

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10

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-10


2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008


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About the Survey The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conductedquarterly to measure employers intentions to increase ordecrease the number of employees in their workforces during

the next quarter. The survey has been running for more than45 years and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity in the world. Various factors underpin thesuccess of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey:

Unique: It is unparalleled in its size, scope, longevity and areaof focus.

Projective: The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is themost extensive, forward-looking employment survey in theworld, asking employers to forecast employment over thenext quarter. In contrast, other surveys and studies focus onretrospective data to report on what occurred in the past.

Focu s ed: For more than four decades, the survey has derivedall of its information from a single question.

Independent: The survey is conducted with a representativesample of employers from throughout the countries in which itis conducted. The survey participants are not derived fromManpowers customer base.

Robu s t: The survey is based on interviews with over55,000 public and private employers across 32 countries andterritories to measure anticipated employment trends eachquarter. This sample allows for analysis to be performed acrossspecific sectors and regions to provide more detailed information.

Methodology The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is conductedusing a validated methodology, in accordance with the higheststandards in market research. The research team for the32 countries and territories where the survey is currentlyconducted includes Manpowers internal research team andInfocorp Research.The survey has been structured to berepresentative of each national economy. The margin of error forall national, regional and global data is not greater than +/- 3.9%.

In the United States, the national survey is conducted byManpowers North American Market Intelligence Team and

includes 14,000 employers. With this number of interviews,the margin of error for the United States survey is +/- 0.8%.

Survey Question All employers participating in the survey worldwide are askedthe same question, How do you anticipate total employmentat your location to change in the three months to the end of June 2008 as compared to the current quarter?

Net Employment Outlook Throughout this report, we use the term Net EmploymentOutlook. This figure is derived by taking the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in hiring activity andsubtracting from this the percentage of employers that expect tosee a decrease in employment at their location in the nextquarter. The result of this calculation is the Net EmploymentOutlook.

Seasonal AdjustmentSeasonal adjustments have been applied to the data for

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany,Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands,New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan,United Kingdom and the United States to provide additionalinsight into the survey data. These adjustments make itpossible to review the data without the employment fluctuationsthat normally occur at the same time each year, thus providinga clearer picture of the data over time. Manpower intends toadd seasonal adjustments to the data for other countries inthe future, as more historical data is compiled. Manpoweradopted the TRAMO-SEATS method of seasonal adjustment

in March of 2008.


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History of the Survey1962 1st generation of the Manpower Employment Outlook

Survey launched in the United States and Canada.

1966 Manpowers UK operation launches the equivalent of

the United States survey, naming the report the QuarterlySurvey of Employment Prospects. The survey adoptsthe same forward-looking research format as the UnitedStates survey and is the first of its kind in Europe.

1976 2nd generation of Manpowers Employment OutlookSurvey launched in the United States and Canada.Research methodology is updated to evolve withadvancements in the field of market research.

2002 Manpower UKs Quarterly Survey of EmploymentProspects is updated to adopt an enhanced researchmethodology. Manpowers operations in Mexico andIreland launch the survey in their respective countries.

2003 3rd generation of the Manpower Employment OutlookSurvey is launched, expanding the program to a total18 countries and territories worldwide: Australia,

Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, HongKong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands,Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdomand United States.

2004 Manpower operations in New Zealand launch theManpower Employment Outlook Survey.

2005 Manpower operations in China, India, Switzerland and Taiwan launch the Manpower Employment OutlookSurvey.

2006 Manpower operations in Costa Rica, Peru and South Africa join the survey program. Surveys in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland,Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore,Spain and Sweden add seasonally adjusted data in thethird quarter.

2007 Manpower operations in Argentina launch the ManpowerEmployment Outlook Survey. The survey in New Zealandadds seasonally adjusted data in the first quarter.

2008 Manpower operations in the Czech Republic, Greece,Guatemala, Poland and Romania join the surveyprogram. The survey in China and Taiwan addsseasonally adjusted data in the second quarter.

About Manpower Inc.Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in theemployment services industry; creating and delivering servicesthat enable its clients to win in the changing world of work.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, the $21 billioncompany offers employers a range of services for the entireemployment and business cycle including permanent,temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessmentand selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing andconsulting. Manpowers worldwide network of 4,500 offices in80 countries and territories enables the company to meet theneeds of its 400,000 clients per year, including small andmedium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as theworlds largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpowers work is on raising productivity through improvedquality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total

workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their corebusiness activities. Manpower Inc. operates under fivebrands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, JeffersonWells and Right Management. More information on ManpowerInc. is available at www.manpower.com.

About ManpowerUnited StatesIn the United States, Manpower provides a wide range of employment services that allow companies to anticipateand benefit from the changes happening now and next inthe contemporary world of work. Manpower is more than itscore of temporary industrial, contact center and administrativerecruiting, assessment and selection. In addition to recruitingand screening for permanent positions, Manpower supportsclients cost savings through its managed service programs.Under the Manpower Professional brand, the companyplaces superior talent in areas such as information technology,scientific, engineering, finance and telecommunications.

The company fulfills clients recruitment process outsourcingneeds through Manpower Business Solutions. Moreinformation about Manpowers U.S. operations can be foundat www.us.manpower.com.


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Manpower Inc., 100 Manpower Place, Milwaukee, WI 53212, USATel: 414 961 1000www us manpower com

Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: United States - Q2, 2008

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