Survey: Wichita-area employers’ hiring intentions may be changing

A survey of Wichita employers by employment company Manpower shows an uptick in firms seeking to cut jobs, although the overall hiring outlook for the coming three months remains strong.

According to the survey, 20 percent of respondents plan to hire more employees, while 7 percent plan to cut payrolls, for a net employment outlook of 13 percent. Nearly three-quarters of employers said they planned to remain the same.

That is down from a very optimistic second-quarter outlook, when 22 percent of employers said they would hire and none said they were looking to cut.

“Local employers anticipate a weaker hiring pace compared to Q2 2016 when the Net Employment Outlook was 22%,” said Manpower spokesman Kent Venters.

In the past year, growth in total wages and employment in the Wichita area accelerated, but they still have not recovered their 2008 peak, according to federal data.

This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Survey: Wichita-area employers’ hiring intentions may be changing."