In Knoxville, it seems as though hiring of new employees has slowed down a bit, staying at a steady pace instead of gradually increasing throughout the year. It is expected that hiring will continue to remain steady within the third quarter, even though job creation is going to likely slowdown from the amount of progress that was made during the second quarter. The information came from the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which was released earlier on in the week.

The survey showed that about 21 percent of employers in the metro area of Knoxville have plans to add additional jobs and positions starting from the month of July up until September, while 6 percent of the employers have plans to decrease the number of staff they have and need. In the meantime, the larger portion of employers, a total of 71 percent, said that they have intentions of keeping their current levels of staff, meaning no declines but no increases either. Only 2 percent of the employers are not sure what the future will hold for them. During the second quarter, there were plenty of employers who felt confident about hiring, more so than they currently feel right now. And, even though it is expected for job growth to stay fairly steady during the third quarter, it is still believed that employment prospects will improve overall, especially when compared to the same months during the previous year. The survey designed by The Net Employment Outlook is based on a percentage of employers who plan on adding jobs, along with those who plan on making cuts.

The vice president of the Knoxville Chamber, Rhonda Rice, says that job creation is still slow in the area of Knoxville. She says that while job creation is slow, it is slow starting to increase. Some jobs are being added, specifically in the retail sector and the manufacturing sector, but jobs that are being created are actually being created in small numbers. For example, fifty jobs may be added in one sector and twenty or thirty in another. The numbers are not high enough to make a significant different, which is the main problem. Progress is expected to be made with more jobs being created as several of the large retailers in the United States, including Kroger and Target, plan on opening up shot in and around the Knoxville area. When these stores open up, there will be plenty of jobs available, meaning better opportunities for those who are looking for employment in the area. There are also restaurants that are going to be hiring, especially as many are starting to open up. For now, employers hope to find skilled people to fill the positions that are available.