Here & Now

Manpower's Chris Layden Discusses Employment Trends

Frederica Freyberg:

This is commencement weekend for many Wisconsin university and college campuses, but how does the job market look for the thousands of new graduates and everybody else? We go to Milwaukee for the answer, and talk to Chris Layden, a managing director at Manpower. Chris, thanks for being here.

Chris Layden:

Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

So what is your latest outlook for Wisconsin?

Chris Layden:

Well, we actually just completed a survey that we launched, the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, looking at the quarter we're in, the second quarter of the year. You know, and I guess that the picture both within the US and Wisconsin is bright. Wisconsin actually ranked in the top five of states. 21% of employers in the quarter we’re in anticipated a net employment outlook of hiring. So we’re seeing supply and demand for products and services getting to a steadier pace, and that’s a brighter outlook for job seekers.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, those are, kind of, numbers now. New job numbers just came out that said Wisconsin gained 28,000 jobs in the last year. What’s your reaction to that number?

Chris Layden:

Well, I think, honestly, the numbers from this week and the April numbers in the US, I think we’re seeing positive signs, honestly, across the board. Wisconsin, I think, is faring better than our peer states. And so I think, overall, whether it’s an entry level job seeker or a mid-career job seeker, things are getting better. Still not robust, still trailing some of our other market trends, certainly the equity market. But I think, overall, we’re seeing a steadier pace of job hiring.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, I know that your outlook called for an overall 21% increase in expected staff levels here in Wisconsin. Historically, how does that percentage increase compare to non-recession years?

Chris Layden:

Yeah. So it was one of the strongest. It was one of the strongest we’ve seen in the history, honestly, of our survey. We’ve been doing this survey for several decades. I think the thing to point out in this quarter survey is that the number of employers, and we surveyed 18,000 employers in the US, who expected to decrease their payrolls, was the lowest in our survey’s history at 4%. So I think you kind of have to look at it on both ends, and I think that there is some encouraging news.

Frederica Freyberg:

So that is encouraging. What’s the outlook for new college graduates? Just as encouraging?

Chris Layden:

Well, as we look at job seekers coming right out of college, we’re expecting a 8% increase, just under 8%, in the US, compared to 2013. When you bring in international locations, it moves to 12%. So 12% higher than what we would have seen a year ago. You know, I think that that is a steady pace, honestly. It’s encouraging given where we’ve come from, right? And over the last five years, it’s been a tough market for kids, for students coming out of college. And so, you know, we’re seeing a little bit of a turning of the corner.

Frederica Freyberg:

What are the best fields for job growth in Wisconsin?

Chris Layden:

Well, I think it’s important to really start and kind of look at what employers are looking for. And honestly, they’re looking for people who are worker ready, not graduate ready. And so I think that’s a little agnostic to the specific field. The encouraging news in our survey is all 12 industry sectors we surveyed in Wisconsin had a positive outlook. And so really, I think it’s agnostic honestly, to the industry. But what employers are really looking for is the right skills, the right experience and the right potential. Right? They're really looking at emergent leadership, to make sure employees have the ability to take on new roles, have agility to kind of work in a different environment and to be able to change with the winds of change. I think that’s where there’s more demands on job seekers, but certainly on college graduates, than there were five or ten years ago.

Frederica Freyberg:

So are there any particular majors that would be the best to pursue for folks still in school?

Chris Layden:

Well, I think that you have to look consistently where there’s demand. And where there is demand and low supply, I think if you’re a parent or a student, those are the areas you need to be pursuing, areas like in engineering and finance and accounting, in the IT and computer science field. We’re seeing consistent demand for graduates– Not only graduates, but for people across multiple skill levels within those fields. And I think that’s something, where if I were a parent or if I were a teacher in high school, I’d be really encouraging kids to look at careers in IT, engineering, finance and accounting, health-related fields. That’s where we’re seeing the most demand.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, you also offer some tips for college graduates who are job hunting. What are those?

Chris Layden:

Yeah. So I think it starts with– You know, you can’t put all of your eggs in the technological basket. I think it’s gotten very easy for tech savvy young people, they’re on social media, they’re using the internet, but you can’t replace good old-fashioned networking. You’ve got to make sure that you’re working your network of friends and family, teachers. That’s really where people are turning to to find jobs. And so we’re seeing that consistently, whether that’s young people or old. It’s an important thing to remember. The second thing is– And you know, and it’s related to that. You have to clean up your internet presence. Things on the internet when you were in high school or college, I think it’s important to look at it. This is a different phase of your career. And employers are increasingly looking at social media activity as a barometer for leadership and potential. I think it’s important to look at. I guess the third would be customizing your resume. You know, employers are not looking for you to scatter a resume all over the place. They’re really look to go make sure you understand their business, that you understand the role you’re applying for, and they have increasing demands on what they’re expecting. And so, you need to make sure you’re reflecting that in the way you’re applying. The fourth, you know, might be really focusing on follow-up and follow-through. That’s another thing that I think is certainly important no matter what type of job you’re applying for.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Chris Layden, good advice. Thank you very much.

Chris Layden:

Thanks for having me.