Hiring outlook good for fourth quarter

In the midst of mixed news about the state of unemployment both locally and nationally, Josh Warborg, district president at Robert Half International, is cautiously optimistic.

“I feel like we’re on a somewhat steady trajectory up,” he says. “When you sit down and actually talk to executives…the general trend seems to be pleasantly optimistic.”

According to Robert Half’s most recent professional employment report, 86 percent of executives interviewed said they are confident in their companies’ prospects for business growth in the fourth quarter of 2010. In the Pacific region, 11 percent say they expect to increase staff.

In Washington State, the industries that anticipate the most hiring are professional services (36 percent), retail (14 percent) and business services and transportation (both 13 percent).

As companies prepare for more hiring, they also face the challenge of finding the right people for the job. Of all executives interviewed, 47 percent said it is “somewhat challenging” to find skilled professionals, up five points from the previous quarter. The technology and marketing industries reported the most difficulty, at 51 percent and 54 percent respectively.

Warborg says the advertising and marketing industry suffered along with print media during the height of the recession, but is now recovering and adapting to a changing media landscape. The marketing industry is seeking search engine optimization and social media specialists. Meanwhile, the technology industry is seeking network administrators versed in new technology such as cloud computing. Customer support professionals are also in high demand, as these jobs suffered major cuts during the recession as the sale of hardware products declined, Warborg says.