There will be a more favorable market for job seekers in Aiken than in Augusta this summer, according to an international staffing firm that surveys area employers every three months.

A majority of the employers in the third-quarter employment outlook survey told Manpower Inc. that they won't be changing their staffing levels from July through September.

In Aiken, 23 percent indicated they would be adding people compared with 10 percent in Augusta. While none of the Augusta companies said they would be deceasing staff, 7 percent in Aiken did.

The Aiken results are consistent with those of last summer, while Augusta is lighter in the increased hiring category. Augusta and Aiken fared better than their state averages for maintaining current staff levels.

Local job prospects appear the best in education, wholesale or retail trade, public administration and transportation. Employers in durable goods manufacturing and services voiced mixed hiring intentions.

While overall softness continues in the national job market, employers are not reacting with large-scale payroll reductions, said Jeffrey Joerres, Manpower's chief executive.

Nationally, 26 percent of those surveyed indicated they'd be hiring more people and 10 percent were going to cut back. The results are based on interviews with more than 14,000 public and private employers in 460 markets nationwide.

"The gradual slowdown suggests that employers have become sophisticated at anticipating their hiring needs," Mr. Joerres said.

Manpower, based in Milwaukee, has a network of 4,400 offices in 73 countries and territories and annually serves 400,000 clients.