Here & Now

Employer Survey Shows Dramatic Uptick For New Milwaukee Jobs

EVEN AS THE STATE BUDGET MAKES ITS WAY TO THE FLOOR OF THE LEGISLATURE, ALONG COME NEW SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE JOB MARKET, BOTH IN WISCONSIN AND NATIONALLY. MILWAUKEE-BASED MANPOWER IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST STAFFING AND RECRUITMENT COMPANIES. MANPOWER SURVEYS EMPLOYERS QUARTERLY TO DETERMINE THEIR PLANS TO ADD WORKERS. THE LATEST WORKPLACE POLL IS PROMISING. IN THE MILWAUKEE AREA 29% OF EMPLOYERS POLLED PLAN TO ADD WORKERS FROM JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER. ONLY 2% PLAN TO REDUCE PAYROLLS. 68% EXPECT TO MAINTAIN CURRENT PAYROLL. IN MADISON, 27% OF EMPLOYERS POLLED PLAN TO HIRE IN THE COMING SUMMER MONTHS, WHILE 6% PLAN TO REDUCE STAFF. 63% WILL HOLD STAFF NUMBERS STEADY. MANPOWER CALLS THESE NUMBERS BULLISH. TODD FILTER IS THE AGENCY’S MARKET VICE-PRESIDENT FOR WISCONSIN AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS. HE JOINS US FROM MILWAUKEE AND THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE.

TODD FILTER:
THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
WELL, SO WHAT MARKET FORCES ARE BEHIND THESE BULLISH JOB PROJECTIONS?

TODD FILTER:
WE’RE CERTAINLY SEEING POSITIVE GROWTH ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. I THINK WISCONSIN ITSELF REALLY BENEFITS BECAUSE WE STILL ARE A VERY STRONG MANUFACTURING BASE. AS THE U.S. MANUFACTURING BASE CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN, WE CONTINUE TO SEE A LOT OF THAT COME OUR WAY. I ALSO THINK THAT THE STATE HAS REALLY SEEN A VERY POSITIVE JOB-FRIENDLY AND BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT BE CREATED. WITH THAT WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF GREAT BUSINESSES LIKE – EVIDENCED BY AMAZON COMING INTO KENOSHA THAT’S DRIVEN 140,000 NEW JOBS WE’VE SEEN COME TO THE STATE IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS RESULTED IN 4.4% UNEMPLOYMENT SO THERE’S JUST A LOT OF GREAT STUFF GOING ON RIGHT NOW DRIVING ALL OF THIS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
WHAT WOULD YOU NAME AS MAYBE THE PRIMARY FACTOR IN TERMS OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WISCONSIN HAS DONE TO TRY TO ATTRACT JOBS?

TODD FILTER:
REALLY IT’S THAT PRO-BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, REALLY ATTRACTING EVEN FROM OUR NEIGHBORS FROM THE SOUTH. WE’RE SEEING IT DEFINITELY – AS I CALL IT – ON THE I-94 CORRIDOR THAT YOU’RE SEEING BUSINESSES CHOOSE TO LOCATE ON THIS SIDE OF THE STATE LINE VERSUS DOWN SOUTH. AND I THINK THAT’S BEEN AGAIN FROM THAT PRO-BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT THAT’S BEEN CREATED HAS BEEN A VERY FAVORABLE THING FOR US.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
HOW DO THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU’RE PROJECTING FOR SUMMER HIRING COMPARE TO A YEAR AGO?

TODD FILTER:
THEY’RE DEFINITELY BETTER. WE’RE SEEING A VERY HEALTHY FORECAST RIGHT NOW COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO. SO WISCONSIN IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN IT WAS THIS TIME LAST YEAR. MILWAUKEE IS MODERATELY HIGHER. IN FACT, WE’RE SEEING THE STRONGEST READING WE’VE SEEN SINCE Q3 OF 2012. MADISON IS SLIGHTLY DOWN FROM LAST YEAR, BUT STILL VERY, VERY HEALTHY. ON THE WHOLE, WE TEND TO SEE POSITIVE SEASONALITY IN Q3, BUT THESE ARE DEFINITELY HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS EVEN COMPARED TO THAT ON THE WHOLE. IF I USE MANPOWER AS THE EXAMPLE, WE’RE ACTUALLY ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR 1500 OPEN JOBS RIGHT NOW ACROSS THE STATE, CENTERED MAINLY IN MILWAUKEE, RACINE, KENOSHA AND THE FOX VALLEY. EVEN I HAVE A 28-VETERAN ON MY TEAM WHO HAS NEVER SEEN DEMAND LIKE THIS IN HER TENURE HERE SO ALL THESE ANCEDOTAL AND EVEN ACTUAL FACTURES ARE ALL EVIDENCE THAT OUR SURVEY IS DEFINITELY POINTING TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
THAT IS REALLY GREAT, GREAT NEWS. I KNOW THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR. GIVE US MAYBE SOME SPECIFICS OF THE KINDS OF JOBS THAT YOU SEE GROWTH IN.

TODD FILTER:
YEAH. SO ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE WE’RE SEEING VERY STRONG GROWTH, AS YOU SAID, IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR. SKILLED TRADES – THERE’S A VERY HIGH DEMAND STILL. LOGISTICS AND WAREHOUSE WORKERS, A LOT OF THE DISTRIBUTION ENVIRONMENT THAT’S GROWN THROUGHOUT THE STATE IS VERY, VERY SOLID. AND EVEN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ADMIN/ CLERICAL TYPE ROLES, WE’RE SEEING THE GROWTH EVERYWHERE TO BE HONEST. AND IN OUR PROFESSIONAL SIDE OF THE BUSINESS, OUR EXPERIENCED SIDE WE’RE DEFINITELY SEEING ALL OF OUR SECTORS IN FINANCE, IT AND ENGINEERING. AND I THINK THE GOOD NEWS IS WE’RE NOT SEEING ANY ONE PARTICULAR SECTOR DRIVING THIS GROWTH. IT’S SPREAD EQUALLY AMONGST AND THAT’S A VERY GOOD SIGN OF A HEALTHY MARKET.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
IT SURE IS. I KNOW THAT OVERALL THE NATIONAL FORECAST FOR NEW HIRES IS AT 24% OF EMPLOYERS EXPECTING TO ADD TO THEIR WORK FORCE. WISCONSIN IT SEEMS TO ME USED TO KIND OF LAG OR DOES HISTORICALLY LAG BEHIND THE NATIONAL GROWTH. ARE WE CATCHING UP NOW?

TODD FILTER:
WE’RE DEFINITELY CATCHING UP, AND WE’RE SURPASSING IN A LOT OF AREAS. SO, YOU KNOW, THE NATIONAL HEALTHY JOB MARKET I THINK DEFINITELY HAS SOME TAILWINDS TO HELP, FOR SURE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, LOCAL AND INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIC FACTORS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL STILL DO DRIVE THAT GROWTH SO INDEPENDENTLY WISCONSIN’S REALLY GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO REALLY DRIVE THAT OURSELVES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
WELL, GREAT. WE APPRECIATE THIS GREAT NEWS. THANKS VERY MUCH, TODD FILTER.

TODD FILTER:
OKAY. THANK YOU.