US hiring outlook dips: Manpower

New York: A forward-looking measure of hiring intentions dipped slightly in the United States even as it improved in many other countries, according to a quarterly survey by Manpower Inc.

The survey offers a hint that jobs in Europe and Asia may recover earlier than in the United States, but it also raises questions about whether such a recovery could be cut short without the support of US consumers, Manpower said.

The global employment services company said its seasonally adjusted US net employment outlook slipped to minus-3 for the fourth quarter, from minus-2 in the prior quarter. A year ago, the index stood at plus-9, according to the survey released on Tuesday.

The index, based on interviews with 28,000 U.S. employers, measures the difference between those who plan to add to their workforce and those who expect to cut staff.

Of 13 US industry sectors, employers in only one -- education and health services -- were more positive about jobs prospects than they were in the third quarter. Other sectors -- like construction, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services -- showed a deteriorating outlook.

"Companies are still not going to be in hiring mode," said Manpower Chief Executive Jeff Joerres. "They are in cautious mode."

A mark of that caution is that two-thirds of U.S. employers plan no change to staffing, a higher proportion than is typical, he added.

Manpower's outlook comes a few days after a U.S. government report showed the jobless rate rose to a 26-year high of 9.7 percent in August even as the pace of job losses slowed.