Fargo-area employers report that the hiring rate may double by the end of 2003, according to a Manpower Inc. fall survey. The survey says that 30 percent of companies plan to hire more through the final three months of the year, while 17 percent plan layoffs. A previous-quarter survey predicted less-positive activity: Only 13 percent of Fargo firms planned to hire. And at the same time last year, only 20 percent planned to hire.
Most new employment is expected in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and education. Job cuts are expected in the construction industry and service sector.
The North Dakota Job Service echoes Manpower's predictions, with an uptick in openings. The Fargo Job Service listed nearly 1,900 openings in mid-September. And metro unemployment was about 2.3 percent.
—Kathy Cobb
