Discussion Paper

Fifth District Firms' Employment Expectations for the Year Ahead: Findings From the September Business Surveys


Abstract: In our September business surveys, we asked Fifth District firms a series of special questions about their employment expectations for full-time workers for the year ahead. Most firms (83 percent) intend to increase full-time employment or hold it steady. However, 17 percent of firms intend to decrease their full-time employment levels. Of the firms that plan to decrease employment, the majority intend to use either attrition or a combination of attrition and layoffs. They also cited uncertainty and rising costs as the main reasons for a reduction in labor. Meanwhile, firms that indicated plans to increase employment expect to do so in response to projected demand increase.

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Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Part of Series: Regional Matters

Publication Date: 2025-10-03