Of companies that use staffing firms, 58% plan to either increase or make no change to the number of staffing firms they use in 2008, according to a survey released today by CareerBuilder.com. The survey found that 37% of employers used at least one staffing firm in 2007, 23% used at least two, and 12% used three or more.

Information technology, education, and manufacturing employers were the least likely to say they would cut back on the number of staffing firms used, according to the survey. Sales, banking, finance, and healthcare are the most likely.

The best ways staffing firms can win more of their business, according to the CareerBuilder.com survey of staffing buyers, are to:

-Thoroughly screen candidates (49%).
-Provide candidates at a reasonable cost (46%).
-Know about the client's business (42%).
-Show a sense of urgency and commitment for hard-to-fill positions (38%).
-Match quality/experience of candidate to cost (37%).

The survey questioned 2,929 hiring managers and human resources professionals.