LINE survey: Compared to a year ago, manufacturing hiring rate to drop slightly in April; service sector hiring to increase sharply

In April, the service-sector hiring rate will reach a four-year high for the month, and more than one-third of manufacturers will add jobs, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey for April 2013.

In April, for the ninth consecutive month, the hiring rate will rise in services compared with a year ago. Hiring will decrease slightly in the manufacturing sector. LINE data compare favorably with reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Several service industries, for example, have posted sizable job gains as of late, according to the BLS.

A net of 37.8 percent of manufacturers will add jobs in April (50.3 percent will hire, 12.5 percent will cut jobs). The sector's hiring index will fall in April on a year-over-year basis by 5.5 points. A net of 41.8 percent of service-sector companies will grow payrolls in April (49.4 percent will conduct hiring, 7.6 percent will cut jobs), the highest level for April in the past four years. The service hiring index will rise by 21.7 points compared with a year ago.

The full report, which also includes data for recruiting difficulty, new-hire compensation, and vacancies, can be found here.