MADISON, Wis. -- The outlook for hiring in the Madison area looks more promising for jobseekers, according to a recent survey of businesses.

Many businesses have been cutting back to shore up their bottom line, but on Wednesday a Manpower survey asking businesses about their employment plans shows more businesses in Madison are feeling positive about the future.

Laid-off workers and jobseekers have filled job fairs in the area, hoping that employers are finally taking on workers instead of laying them off.

"Our December was very strong and January, February and March have been just following in place as well, which we're very pleased about," said Kim Starr, with staffing agency Drake and Company.

Drake placed the most workers so far in 2010 just last week.

"High-tech, computers, manufacturing (are all up) and I had one guy say, 'I am delighted to say I'm going to bring back at least half of the 30 people I laid off a year ago,'" said Starr.

Employment services company Manpower said job prospects in manufacturing, transportation, utilities and retail all look good in the next quarter as 22 percent of area companies surveyed say they plan to hire more staff.

"If we add the (businesses that are) going to hire and the (businesses that are) going to hold on, we get to roughly 94 percent of employers surveyed are going to hang on or hire. This is up from the 84 percent we had last quarter and even lower numbers throughout 2009," said Michael Vega, of Manpower.

Vega said the survey indicates that the unemployed have reason to hope.

"Now is the time to be proactive to get out to contact employment firms like Manpower, our competitors, and to pound the pavement because what's going to happen is companies are going to want to hire the people who are hungry in the job market, who aren't comfortable right now in being unemployed but being proactive," Vega said.

Manpower said that 7 percent of employers do plan to decrease staffing levels. Manpower said those areas are in the leisure and hospitality industries.

The survey showed that Milwaukee's numbers were also good. It ranked 13th out of 201 metro areas for employers planning to hire.

Both Milwaukee and Madison were above the national average of 16 percent of companies planning to add staff.