Survey results released today by staffing firm Manpower Inc. show that employers are still reluctant to add staff in the third quarter 2009. The hiring picture in the U.S. is unchanged from the survey’s second-quarter results, but the rate of labor market contraction is expected to level off.
 
The firm suggests that the results imply the "worst in behind us," though the survey covered mostly hiring plans and not downsizing. So while the analysis itself may be sitting on a shaky foundation, the overall results do show that globally, the employers surveyed remain cautious and are waiting to see whether the third quarter plays out better than the first and second …