A survey of hiring managers and human resource professionals found that 32 percent plan to bring in temporary or contract staff in the fourth quarter, relatively unchanged from the 33 percent who said they planned to hire temporary and contract staff in the same quarter of last year, according to CareerBuilder's fourth-quarter 2013 U.S. job forecast released today. Additionally, 22 percent reported that they will transition some temporary or contract staff into permanent employees before the end of the year.

The survey also found that 25 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent headcount in the fourth quarter, relatively unchanged from the 26 percent who planned to hire in the fourth quarter of 2012.

“Consistent hiring has been the theme throughout this jobs recovery,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Economic concerns are still looming. Some headlines in the news need to play themselves out before employers fully mobilize to create a more active job market. Companies will continue to produce an even stream of new jobs in the fourth quarter as they assess their positioning and prospects for the coming year.”

In the third quarter, 28 percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount, down from 32 percent last year. Eleven percent decreased headcount, compared to 12 percent in 2012; 60 percent made no change to staff levels while 1 percent was unsure.

Small businesses continue to trail large organizations in the percentage of employers hiring, but recruitment activity among companies of all sizes will remain relatively steady over the next three months, according to the forecast.

Hiring by company size:

• 50 or fewer employees: 15 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in Q4 compared to 16 percent last year; 8 percent expect to reduce headcount compared to 7 percent last year
• 250 or fewer employees: 18 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in Q4 compared to 20 percent last year; 9 percent expect to reduce headcount compared to 8 percent last year
• 500 or fewer employees: 20 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in Q4 compared to 21 percent last year; 9 percent expect to reduce headcount compared to 8 percent last year
• More than 500 employees: 32 percent plan to add full-time, permanent staff in Q4 compared to 34 percent last year; 11 percent expect to reduce headcount compared to 9 percent last year

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals.