Forty-one percent of employers in Wisconsin and Illinois plan to increase staffing levels in the first quarter of 2012, up from 39 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to results from a survey by QPS Companies Inc., a privately held staffing firm based in Brookfield, Wis.

“In comparison to the fourth quarter of 2011, employers are slightly more optimistic when it comes to business conditions and hiring trends,” according to COO Dan McNulty. “We are experiencing an increase as companies decide to add temporary employees to control their labor costs.”

According to the survey, 70 percent of employers believe there is a shortage of skilled labor, and 66 percent feel the economy is the biggest issues facing companies in the first quarter of 2012.

QPS surveyed more than 180 companies throughout Wisconsin and Illinois as part of its employment forecasting survey.