US employer hiring plans, as measured by the quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, are expected to remain relatively stable beginning in 2008 with 22 percent of US employers adding staff while 12 percent decrease staff (yielding a net employment outlook of +10). But the latest quarterly results indicate a strong quarterly drop in hiring plans for the construction sector, as well as a slight decline in half of the industry sectors (non-durable goods manufacturing, education, services and public administration sectors). The strongest regional job market is expected in the West (+18 net employment), followed by the South (+12), the Northeast (+8), and the Midwest (+6). Quarter over quarter, regional comparisons show a decline in hiring activity in all regions except the West, which remains stable. Where are the hotspots for jobs in each region next quarter? In the West, they will be in public administration, services, transportation/public utilities, finance/insurance/real estate and mining. Employers in these industries report hiring plans at levels at or above 20 percent. In the South only mining met that threshold, but several industries should hire at levels at or above 15 percent, including services, durables manufacturing, non-durables manufacturing and public administration. In the Northeast, three industries are likely to hire at levels at or above 15 percent are durables manufacturing, services, and finance/insurance/real estate. In the Midwest, only transportation/utilities is expected to meet the 15 percent threshold, with services slightly lower at 13 percent.