Slow 3Q Hiring Pace Expected In Mass.

Boston-area employers say they’re going to hire at a slow pace during the third quarter of this year, according to a new survey from Manpower, Inc., a national employment agency.

Of the companies around Greater Boston that were interviewed, three out of four say they’re going to keep their payrolls the same. But of those that do expect changes, more plan to hire than cut jobs. And that’s relatively good news, says Manpower’s regional director, Susan Fontana.

"If you take a last year — a year ago — and the numbers for the third quarter, the net employment outlook was zero," Fontana says. "So no positive movement whatsoever."

The industries that do plan to add jobs in the next quarter include financial services, health care and education.