The good news is that it will be easier to find employees in the service and manufacturing sectors during the month of May. That helps businesses looking to fill positions.

The bad news: manufacturing and service sector hiring will drop sharply in May 2008 compared with one year ago, according to a survey of human resources professionals. That makes it harder for folks looking for work.

The forecast comes from the Society for Human Resource Management/Rutgers University Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE).

LINE data also show that increases in wages for new hires in the manufacturing sector dropped modestly in April compared to one year ago while those in the service sector fell slightly.

The job slowdown will likely continue into May, according to Jennifer Schramm, SHRM manager of workplace trends and forecasting.

The monthly report forecasts changes in national employment by surveying human resource professionals at more than 500 manufacturing and 500 service sector firms.

These numbers simply reinforce the need for the government, working with union and business leaders, to take immediate action to avoid having the economy slipping deeper into a recession. When workers can’t find a job and have less income, it will eventually hurt other sectors of the economy.