Steve Wolfe Quotes (5 Quotes)

On the heels of a conservative start to the year, managers are feeling more comfortable putting their 2006 hiring plans in gear. ... lower unemployment rates and the growing demand for skilled labor in certain sectors such as health care, financial services and IT are strong indications that the economy is growing steadily.

Rising energy prices and interest rates may overshadow the optimism employees have in the labor market in the coming months. While we don't expect worker confidence to fall dramatically, we are likely to see a softening as people struggle with greater day-to-day financial strain.

We're seeing quiet confidence building on a month-to-month basis. Good people are getting harder to find, and you have to make sure that you pay them appropriately.

Heading into the new year, across-the-board improvements are giving rise to a more hopeful workforce, consistent with a growing demand for skilled labor and increased financial confidence. Multiple signs indicate that improving expectations about the employment market will jump start 2006.

Whereas we typically see a new year's increase, our polling indicates that workers are approaching this year with a 'wait-and-see' attitude. This is not a great cause for concern, though, as worker sentiment remains essentially unchanged from December, which showed increased optimism overall.