Businesses in the DeKalb/Sycamore area expect to hire more employees during the second quarter of 2004, according to a report released by Manpower, an international staffing company that hires out temporary work.

The survey showed 37 percent of companies interviewed in the area plan to add workers, while no businesses said they plan to cut their work force.

The employers were asked to estimate their intentions for the quarter, said Michelle Luther, branch manager for Manpower. Luther’s branch covers Ogle and DeKalb counties.

Local results are part of a national survey, Luther said. Each company that said it planned to add workers was asked whether it anticipated a slight, moderate or substantial increase.

The job outlook is best in durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities and wholesale/retail trade and services, according to the survey. Luther said the construction outlook is the strongest it has been since 1978.

Manpower also conducts surveys on national employment trends. Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 28 percent said they plan to increase employment. However, 6 percent of national employers said they expect a decrease.

The survey has been conducted quarterly for the past four years, Luther said.

Roger Hopkins, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, said he expects an increase in manufacturing in the area. He said the nation is entering a period of growth. This is the second year of the economic expansion, he said.

The first year is a leveling-out period, Hopkins said. Companies are beginning or expecting to expand their work forces.

However, Hopkins said the economy is “still short of being outright bullish.”

Steve Cunningham, associate vice president of administration for Human Resources, said that hiring at NIU – DeKalb County’s largest employer – has been slow lately because of the budget situation for universities across the state. The NIU Human Resources Services department was included in the survey.

NIU is not currently laying off faculty or staff, Cunningham said. He said positions have been eliminated after people have left or retired, and this results in the trimming of departments on campus.