A quarter of Des Moines and West Des Moines employers surveyed by Manpower expect to hire more employees from January through March.

Another 67 percent will keep current staff levels, 6 percent will reduce them, and 2 percent aren’t sure, the survey found.

That is a stronger picture than last year at this time, said Karen Miller, Manpower’s local executive vice president.

Nationally, of more than 11,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 20 percent plan to add to their workforce, and 6 percent expect a decline in their payrolls during the first quarter of next year. Seventy-two percent of employers anticipate making no change to staff levels, and the remaining 2 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring plans.

The next Manpower outlook survey will be released March 8, looking at plans for the second quarter.