Who's hiring.... who's not.... and what does the election have to do with it?

A new report from employment agency Manpower has a fresh take on the local jobs scene.

The Manpower employment outlook survey shows employers in the Lehigh Valley are putting out the 'help wanted' sign.

"The outlook being positive means that the number of companies that are going to hire is in a positive range," said Becky Sokolowski, regional director for Manpower. "This means more people are planning on hiring than companies that are planning to lay off."

Fourteen percent of companies plan to hire more while seven percent plan to reduce staff and 78 percent plan to maintain their staffing levels.

It's not all positive. The numbers are slightly down from last quarter, and hiring is expected to be down three percent from last year.

"That doesn't surprise me because the economy's been treading water now for about a year with very little hiring going on," said Ed Gamber, Lafayette professor.

One economist says the numbers are the way they are because of demand. Businesses are driven by profit, not emotion but others still feel the presidential election can play part in these numbers.

"They don't know what is going to happen after the election. It could cause a boost, it could cause a decline." Sokolowskii said.  "That's why employers are still remaining cautious about how they hire. They are just playing a wait-and-see."

"I think it's less important who wins the election, just that it is resolved which it will be. And once it's resolved it will clear up some expectations," Gamber said.

So for the rest of the year, hiring may be lukewarm, but experts the numbers for  January to show an increase in available jobs.