U.S. employers expect the hiring pace to remain positive in Q2 2017 with 22 percent of employers planning to add staff between April and June. According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, employers in all U.S. regions and industry sectors expect headcount to grow in Q2, with the upbeat forecast indicating that political uncertainty has not yet dented employer confidence.

Of the 11,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 73 percent expect no change in hiring plans and only three percent of employers expect workforce reductions. The Net Employment Outlook* for Quarter 2 2017 is +17%, relatively stable compared to the previous quarter and one year ago, taking into account seasonal variations.

Nationwide, employers in all 13 industry sectors expect to add staff in Q2 2017. Industries reporting the strongest second quarter hiring intentions are: Leisure & Hospitality (+28%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+21%), Transportation & Utilities (+20%) and Professional & Business Services (+19%).

"U.S. employers have a positive Outlook for the coming quarter as the country waits to understand how the new administration's policies will come into effect. We are also seeing an emerging positive Outlook from manufacturing employers who are reporting some of their strongest hiring plans since the end of the recession," said Michael Stull, Senior Vice President, Manpower North America. "The sector is showing signs of entering a renaissance period, transforming itself to be higher tech and data driven, stepping up to the increased global competitiveness. We're seeing traditional manufacturing hubs go from rust-belt to brain-belt through targeted investments in tailored training programs, like our MyPath initiative, that help re-skill the workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. To keep up, the pace needs to be faster and will require more employers to go all in to build the skills. But we're encouraged to see the green shoots emerge in manufacturing and overall hiring."

U.S. Hiring Plans by Regions, Industry Sectors and Metro Areas/States

All regions in the U.S. are optimistic about their hiring plans in Q2 2017.

• Quarter over quarter, U.S. employers in the Midwest, South and West expect hiring to remain relatively stable, while employers in the Northeast expect a slight decrease in hiring.

• Compared to Q2 2016, employers in the West report a slightly stronger Outlook, while employers in the Northeast, Midwest and South anticipate a relatively stable hiring pace.

• For the coming quarter, employers in Montana, Colorado, Maine, Alaska, Hawaii and Michigan report the strongest Net Employment Outlooks. Of the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, the strongest job prospects are expected in Nashville, Tenn.; Provo, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Fresno, Calif.; and Raleigh, N.C.