The 2013 Job Outlook is Improving

For 2013, economists widely agree the outlook for jobs will continue improving marginally. The economy is expected to create 2.36 million jobs, slightly more than the estimated 1.9 million that’s estimated for 2012, according to IHS Global Insight.

Reuter’s reports that the ADP National Employment Report showed the private sector added 215,000 jobs last month, comfortably above economists’ expectation of a 133,000 gain. The report is jointly developed with Moody’s Analytics.

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in December for the first time in four months, while the overall job-cut total in 2012 was the lowest since 1997.

Employers announced 32,556 job cuts last month, the second lowest monthly total of 2012 and down 43 percent from 57,081 in November, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

New York’s private sector job count increased by 123,200 from December 2011 to December 2012. As reported last week, the state’s unemployment rate was 8.2% in December 2012. New York State’s rate has plummeted since August 2012, dropping by 0.9 percentage points. This represents the state’s largest four-month rate drop since February 1984.

Staffing Jobs are on the Rise

According to a recent survey conducted by The American Staffing Association, from July through September of 2012, the number of temporary and contract workers employed by U.S. staffing firms on an average business day was 4.3% higher compared with the third quarter of 2011. This is the 11th consecutive quarter of year-to-year staffing industry job growth since the recession ended mid-2009.