MILWAUKEE-According to Manpower Inc.'s Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, U.S. employers expect hiring activity from April to June to be stronger than it has been since the first quarter of 2001.

Of the 16,000 U.S. employers that were surveyed, 28 percent said they plan to increase hiring activity for the April-to-June period, while 6 percent expect a decrease in employment opportunities. Another 62 percent of employers foresee no change in hiring, and 4 percent are uncertain of their staffing plans. When the seasonal variations are removed from the data, the outlook for the second quarter is more positive than it was last quarter, and is nearly twice as strong as it was last year at this time. This marks the third consecutive quarter of increased hiring activity.