Fort Myers: Hot job market?

What employers say and what they do are sometimes two different things.

Hiring surveys of employers in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area by employment firm Manpower so far this year have been surprisingly upbeat. Consider: A recent survey of employers in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area showed 22% will add staff in the fourth quarter while only 4% will reduce employment, the second-best employment outlook in the nation.

But employment figures so far haven't matched up with hiring plans. For the year ending in July, for example, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers region has added just 600 jobs, according to state data.

Granted, the Manpower survey looks ahead three months while the state labor data is historical. But economic forecasts are notoriously unpredictable because situations change.

Of course, there are plenty of theories as to why employers want to hire but aren't boosting staff now. Speaking with employers, many blame the economic and political uncertainty that lies ahead.

Still, hiring plans could be a barometer of what may happen after the November elections. Here are the results of the latest Manpower survey: