August new-hire rate falls 11 percent

The number of newly hired workers in New Hampshire dropped by nearly 11 percent in August, according to figures provided by the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security.Some 20,186 new hires were reported in August – 10.6 percent fewer than the 22,574 new hires added in July.Year-to-date, there have been 159,156 newly hired workers reported by New Hampshire employers – far more than the 93,463 that were recorded through August 2009.But August was the second consecutive month that the number of new hires fell, following a four-month climb from March through June. March’s numbers, however, were slightly below those of February’s, following impressive increases from January to February.In 2009, steady, modest growth in new hires was reported each month except for December, which saw a 14 percent drop from November.In 2008, however, there were fluctuations in hiring patterns similar to 2010.The NHDES tracks the data monthly from W4 forms submitted by employers, which are required by law to report new hire information. — CINDY KIBBE/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW