Firms to Boost Spring Hiring, Survey Finds

American businesses, which spurred economic growth last year by going on a hiring binge, plan to boost their payrolls again in the next few months, according to a new survey. Manpower Inc.’s quarterly survey of 16,000 companies, which often foreshadows employment trends, shows businesses in all 10 industries surveyed expect to hire more workers than they did three months ago or at the same time last year. New jobs usually reflect a surge in activity and in turn give workers the confidence and means to spend--and spur renewed economic growth. April though June will probably mark “one of the most optimistic quarters in many years,” said Mitchell S. Fromstein, chief executive of Milwaukee-based Manpower. Hiring intentions are up throughout many industrial categories and geographic areas, Fromstein said.