Among employers of professional workers, 6 percent plan to hire professional-level staff in the third quarter while 90 percent anticipate no change and 3 percent plan to cut staff, according to the Robert Half professional report that was released today. The net 3 percent planning to add staff is down two points from the second-quarter forecast.

Despite the decrease in the net hiring projection, the percentage of executives expecting to see staff reductions has been trending down over the past five quarters.

Executives also reported difficulties finding the talent they need. Forty-two percent of respondents said it is challenging to find skilled professionals today, up from 37 percent in the second-quarter survey.

Legal and marketing executives expect to see the strongest hiring activity, with a net 30 percent of lawyers and a net 19 percent of marketing executives planning to increase staff levels. A net 6 percent of executives in the construction sector anticipate staff additions.

Ninety-two percent of executives are at least somewhat confident in their organizations’ ability to grow in the third quarter; 44 percent are very confident.

The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 C-level executives and other leaders from a variety of fields throughout the United States.