Employers in the U.S. report the strongest hiring intentions globally for Q4 according to the latest ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) Employment Outlook Survey of 6,000 employers.

Hiring intentions strengthen by 23 and 34 percentage points from 3Q 2021 and 4Q 2020, respectively.

• Record hiring intentions: All 12 industry sectors and all 4 regions report their highest hiring outlook since the survey began in 1962.

• Hiring intentions highest in Northeast and West: Both regions report the strongest year-on-year improvements (both +51%).

• U.S. employers relying on financial incentives to fill talent shortages: This is more than any other country — 42% in the U.S. compared to 31% global average. Other incentives include flexibility in work schedules (38%) and working locations (30%) as well as non-financial benefits, such as additional vacation days (21%).

• Barriers to upskilling: As more employers plan to upskill workers, money (22%), time (16%) and access to the right training partners (14%) were cited as the biggest barriers businesses faced.

• Technical skills and career coaching key focuses for HR teams: More than a quarter (27%) of employers plan to invest in accelerated upskilling in technical skills for employees, and 24% plan to introduce more career coaching programs in the next six months to overcome the widening talent shortage.

"This is a historic Q4 report as American employers seek to hire to meet a level of demand we haven't seen in decades that we anticipate will continue into 2022," said Becky Frankiewicz, President, ManpowerGroup North America. "Although headwinds including the Delta variant and talent shortages may impact how these intentions translate to jobs created, we are still in a worker's market. Businesses know  they have to get creative to attract and retain the best skilled talent. There are more than 10m open jobs in our country and the most forward-thinking employers are building flexibility into roles traditionally seen as in-flexible, demonstrating how their purpose aligns to employee values and putting the health and wellbeing of their workforce above all."

View the complete Q4 2021 U.S. survey results: manpowergroupusa.com/meos 

U.S. Hiring Plans by Industry Sectors and Regions

• Employers in all 12 U.S. industry sectors expect to grow payrolls during the next three months: Information (+62%), Financial Activities (58%), Transportation & Utilities (+58%), Construction (+56%), Professional & Business Services (+54%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+49%), Leisure & Hospitality (+45%), Durable Goods Manufacturing (+43%), Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (+43%), Government (+42%), Other Services (+42%), Education & Health Services (+38%).
• Hiring prospects improve in all four U.S. regions when compared with the third quarter of 2021, most notably by 28 percentage points in the West. Northeast employers report an increase of 25 percentage points, while Outlooks are 22 and 21 percentage points stronger in the South and the Midwest, respectively. Employers in all four regions report the strongest hiring intentions since the survey began with the strongest labor markets anticipated in the Northeast and the West, with Outlooks of +51%. In the South the Outlook stands at +48%, and Midwest employers report an Outlook of +45%.

To view complete results for the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, click here.  The next survey will be released December 14, 2021, and will report hiring expectations for Q1 2022.