Better times may lie ahead in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles job seekers, but those looking for work on the Westside may find it a little tougher going than in previous quarters, according to a new employment survey by Manpower Inc.
Three out of every 10 Los Angeles-area businesses surveyed by Manpower reported that they are expecting to hire more people during the fourth quarter. Only 5 percent of those surveyed expect to lay off employees, while 45 percent expect to remain at current staffing levels. Twenty percent said they were not sure of their hiring plans.
The portion of businesses expecting to hire more workers, at 30 percent, is up from 25 percent a year ago. The portion saying they plan to lay off workers, at 5 percent, is virtually unchanged from 4 percent a year ago.
The fourth-quarter hiring forecast is also slightly improved from the forecast of three months ago, when 28 percent of companies surveyed said they anticipated adding workers and 7 percent said they would cut back.
Los Angeles employers are also more bullish about the fourth quarter than the national average. Of companies surveyed nationwide, 28 percent said they would hire more workers in the fourth quarter and 7 percent said they would lay off employees.
“The Los Angeles area is still in the midst of a recovery from a very long and deep recession. You only see these levels of growth in full-time hires when companies are optimistic that the good times are here to stay for awhile,” said Hank Hinse, area manager for Manpower.
But not all parts of Los Angeles are equally optimistic. Expressing the brightest outlooks were businesses within the central portions of Los Angeles, where 33 percent of the companies surveyed expect to add personnel in the fourth quarter and only 3 percent plan to trim employment rolls.
The survey findings suggest the ongoing hiring spurt on the Westside including West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and Venice will moderate a bit in the fourth quarter. The portion of Westside companies planning to hire in the fourth quarter was 23 percent, down from 31 percent three months ago.
Such a leveling off after several quarters of relatively rapid job growth is common, Hinke said, as the job openings fill up. Also, some Westside high-technology jobs may be moving up the coast to Santa Barbara, he said.
Meanwhile, San Fernando Valley businesses expect to continue their moderate growth in new hires. Twenty-four percent of the Valley companies surveyed said they plan to add to their payrolls in the fourth quarter, while 7 percent said they expect to lay off workers.
