Most Costa Rican employers do not intend to expand their workforce within the next quarter, according to a nationwide survey released last week by Manpower.

Manufacturing jobs are expected to increase at the highest rate, while the agriculture, fishing, and mining sectors will see the smallest growth, the survey said.

The human resources consulting group surveyed 625 employers throughout Costa Rica about their hiring plans for July through September. Among those responding, 32 percent plan to expand in coming months, while 61 percent did not predict any change in their workforce size.

Another 5 percent of those surveyed planned to cut jobs, leaving a potential net employment growth of 27 percent for the third quarter.

Job-seekers may find luck in Heredia province, north of San José, where the employee pool is expected to expand by 35 percent. On the contrary, employers in the Pacific province of Puntarenas and the Caribbean province of Limón only foresee 2 percent job growth – the worst rate for those regions since Manpower started its surveys in late 2006.

The manufacturing sector promised the largest growth, with a 38 percent increase, Manpower reported. That number is weaker than last quarter, when the sector predicted 45 percent expansion. Last year's projected growth for the third quarter was 17 percent.

Meanwhile, the agriculture, fishing, and mining sectors could see minimal growth, according to Manpower. Employers projected a 7 percent increase in employment in coming months. Compare that to the same period last year, when employment growth was set at 30 percent.

Last year at this time, Manpower's survey found similar results among Costa Rican employers. About a third of businesses then planned to hire more workers, while 6 percent planned cuts.

Construction, transportation and communication were the most promising sectors in the third quarter of 2007, while manufacturing showed weaker expectations.