Hiring in the second quarter by U.S. employers will slow considerably compared to the same period last year, according to the employment outlook survey by Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN).

The report found that 15% of the 31,800 employers surveyed planned to increase their staff levels in the second quarter, 14% planned a decrease, 67% estimated no change and 4% were unsure for a net employment outlook of 1%.

For the second quarter of last year, the net employment outlook was 17%.

"A significant number of employers surveyed anticipate 'no change' in their employment intentions for the upcoming quarter," said Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Joerres. "This tells us that in this difficult economic environment, employers are attempting to manage the tension between generating a profit and maintaining their workforce infrastructure."

The leisure and hospitality industry sector posted the highest net employment outlook for the second quarter at 14. Professional and business services ranked next at nine.

Mining registered the lowest net employment outlook in the second quarter at -9%. It had the highest outlook in the first quarter.

The Midwest and Northeast reported the highest net employment outlooks — up 2% each.

The top-ranked metropolitan area in the U.S. was Yakima WA — which had a net employment outlook of 21%. The Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL and San Juan, Puerto Rico, areas posted the lowest at -16%.

Also, Manpower's survey of more than 1,900 Canadian employers found a net employment outlook of 6% for the second quarter. That's down from 16% in the second quarter of 2008.