Businesses are less optimistic after election, says survey
Did the recent election change the outlook for Iowa employers? A survey released by The Hamilton Group found that it may have.
The Hamilton Hiring Survey was conducted days after the November election, and indicates that employers are less optimistic than they were earlier this year. It is intended to reflect attitudes and intentions for January through June of next year.
The Hamilton Group, a West Des Moines recruiting company, surveyed more than 5,000 small and medium-sized employers in Iowa about their sense of optimism for industry job growth in the first half of 2013, and found that 24 percent of respondents were somewhat or very optimistic. That number was down 30 percentage points from the third quarter of 2012.
More than half (51 percent) said they were either somewhat or very pessimistic. That was the highest level in the past three years.
Only a quarter of respondents said they expect to increase total employment in the next six months, down from 44 percent in the third quarter.
The survey concludes that many businesses are searching for the ideal staffing level until economic and political uncertainties become more clear.
A national survey released earlier this week by Dice Holdings Inc. said hiring professionals anticipate continued job creation in the first half of 2013 at about the same pace as this year. Nearly half (46 percent) of hiring managers and recruiters told Dice they expect additional hiring during the first half of 2013.
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