Favorable job market expected for LR MSA.(Inside Business)

Employers in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway area expect to hire at a steady pace during the third quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

For the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area, however, employers see a more cautious pace, and Fort Smith MSA employers expect to hire at a slow pace, according to the survey.

From July to September, 14 percent of the companies in the Little Rock MSA interviewed by Manpower Inc. plan to hire more employees, while 8 percent expect to reduce their payrolls. Another 74 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels.

In the Fayetteville MSA, 15 percent of the companies foresee hiring more employees, while 16 percent expect to cut jobs, and 65 percent expect to keep their present level.

For the Fort Smith area, hiring looks to be flat with 12 percent of the companies planning to increase hiring and 12 percent looking to reduce their payrolls. Another 75 percent say they expect to keep their staffing levels the same.

For the coming quarter, ReNae Patterson, spokeswoman for the Little Rock office, said job prospects appear best in nondurable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, other services and government.

The outlook nationwide is still sluggish. Of the more than 28,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 15 percent expect to increase their staff levels during the July-September period, while 13 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, and 67 percent expect no change in hiring.

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