MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON – U.S. companies will have to keep hiring steadily to meet their customers’ rising demand.
That’s the message that emerged from a report Wednesday that employers are finding it harder to squeeze more output from their existing staff. It also helps explain why ADP, a payroll provider, estimated Thursday that companies added 216,000 workers last month.
Those findings reinforced confidence that 2012 will mark a turning point for the long-suffering job market and the economy. Applications for unemployment benefits have tumbled. Consumer confidence is at its highest point in a year. And the stock market has been on a tear since the year began.
Feeding on themselves, those trends tend to fuel further economic growth.