Nearly 3 out of 4 businesses see improving situation optimism higher than 2016.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Express Employment Professionals released new survey results today revealing that employers have overwhelmingly positive perceptions of their local job markets.

In a survey of 1,951 businesses, respondents were asked, “As an employer, what is your perception of the current employment environment in your market?”

Nearly three quarters, 74 percent, said the environment is “trending up,” while 26 percent said trending down.

That is a 10-percentage point improvement compared to results from a similar survey in the fourth quarter of 2016.

“This is a very encouraging sign for the new year,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “We all know that despite the lower unemployment rate, too many men and women in America have been shoved to the sidelines, left out of the job market. Continued job market improvement is essential to getting more people back to work, especially those who have been jobless for so long that they are no longer counted in the ‘official’ unemployment rate.

“This improvement could be a sign that the long, slow recovery is finally picking up some momentum, or it could represent employers’ optimism about the new president and administration.”

The survey of 1,951 businesses, which are current and former clients of Express Employment Professionals, covers hiring trends for the first quarter of 2017.