Portland area employers expect to hire at a brisk pace during the second quarter of 2006, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

From April to June, 37 percent of the companies surveyed plan to hire more employees, while 3 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Jodie Griffith. Another 57 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels, and 3 percent are not certain of their hiring.

“In the Portland area, employers expect much more hiring activity than in the first quarter when 27 percent of the companies interviewed intended to increase headcount, and 13 percent planned to decrease it,” said Griffith. “Employers forecast similar hiring plans compared to those reported a year ago when 40 percent of companies surveyed thought employment increases were likely and 7 percent intended to cut back.”

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, education, services and public administration. Employers in wholesale/retail trade voice mixed hiring intentions, while hiring in construction, transportation/public utilities and finance/insurance/real estate is expected to remain unchanged.

According to the national seasonally adjusted results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, U.S. employers show no signs of changing their healthy hiring pace in the second quarter.

Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 30 percent foresee an increase in hiring activity for the second quarter of 2006, while 6 percent expect a reduction in payrolls. Fifty-eight percent report no change in hiring plans, and 6 percent have yet to determine their staffing needs. The seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook for April-June is 21 percent.