U.S. hiring increases compared to early 2009

Compared to the start of 2009, more U.S. companies in the manufacturing and service sectors are hiring more employees according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Those two sectors employ more than 90 percent of the nation’s private-sector workers.

The society’s report is based on a monthly survey of human resource professionals at more than 500 manufacturing and 500 services companies. August marks the highest level of hiring in the manufacturing sector since October 2008, with 11 percent of respondents planning to add jobs this month. In the services sector, 16.9 percent of respondents will hire in August.

Still, hiring is down compared to a year ago. Employment expectations are at five-year lows for August in both manufacturing and service sectors, down 11.5 percent in manufacturing and down 2.8 percent in services.

Meanwhile, with more jobless talent on the market, companies are reporting less difficulty in hiring. In the manufacturing sector, 13.1 percent of companies reported less difficulty with recruiting last month, and 19.9 percent of companies in the services sector had less trouble recruiting in July.