May’s disappointing job numbers have many questioning if the U.S. economic recovery is on shaky ground. And while private employers added only 82,000 in May, employers that are part of hourly employment network Snagajob, are “optimistic” when asked about their general hourly hiring outlook.
Almost two-thirds (64 percent) labeled themselves “optimistic” about hourly hiring in the second quarter, indicating they plan to hire, down just 3 percentage points since the first quarter, the first time this online survey of more than 300 hourly employers was conducted.
“The jobs report is showing that our major categories of retail and restaurants are holding steady, if not experiencing a little growth,” says Rick Parker, senior vice president of marketing for Snagajob. “Therefore, despite some larger concerns about the job market, it’s logical that our hiring managers are indicating that they’re feeling good and plan to hire this quarter. We also know that some are still completing summer hiring needs, a positive factor affecting the second quarter.”
Others in the survey said that they would take a “wait and see” attitude for the second quarter (32 percent), while 4 percent called themselves “pessimistic,” both relatively unchanged since last quarter.
When it comes to what keeps hiring managers up at night, hard economic factors were not among the top concerns. While hiring managers showed concern for increasing hard costs and decreasing consumer spending (56 percent and 58 percent labeled those factors “very important” or “extremely important,” respectively), more hiring managers view the ability to hire and retain good employees as the most important factors in their business right now.
Ninety-three percent viewed hiring and retaining good employers as “very important” or “extremely important.” (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
“Our employers know the impact that a top-notch hourly workforce can have on their bottom lines,” Parker says. “Hourly employees deliver the customer experience and a great customer experience drives repeat business. The impact of rising costs or reduced spending is tempered with A-level hourly employees.”
These results are based on unscientific polling of hourly employers who use Snagajob for their sourcing and talent management needs. The online survey was administered between May 8-23, 2012, garnering 335 employer responses of various industries and sizes.
