Florida hiring could stagnate

Few Florida firms expect to reduce their employment numbers in the fourth quarter of 2011, but not many plan on adding staff either, a survey conducted by Robert Half International suggests.

According to the survey, 89% of Florida firms will keep their current employment numbers constant over the last three months of the year. An estimated 8% will increase staff, while just 3% expect to eliminate positions.

Nationwide, 12% of survey respondents said they would increase staff over the fourth quarter, with 5% saying they would reduce staff. Thus, a net of 7% said hiring would increase, compared to the Florida net total of 5%.

Florida also differed slightly from the national average in terms of confidence about future growth prospects: 98% of survey respondents were at least somewhat confident that their business would grow through year's end. Nationwide, 8% of respondents were not confident about future growth.

More than 100 Florida executives responded to the quarterly survey by Robert Half, an international professional staffing and consulting services firm.