More employers plan to hire contract or temporary employees in the next six months than in the same period last year, according to a survey by CareerBuilder. The study found 31 percent of employers plan to hire temporary or contract workers, up from 21 percent who planned such hiring in the second half of 2012.

However, the percentage of employers who plan to hire permanent, full-time employees did not increase; 44 percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent staff in the second half of this year, the same as in the second half of last year. Twenty-five percent plan to hire part-time employees, up from 21 percent last year.

“Companies are adding more employees to keep pace with demand for their products and services, but they're not rushing into a full-scale expansion of headcount in light of economic headwinds that still linger today,” said CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson. “The projected surge in temporary hiring from July to December is evidence of both a growing confidence in the market and a recession-induced hesitation to immediately place more permanent hires on the books. However, the overall pace of permanent hiring is stronger today in various industries and geographies, and will continue on a path of gradual improvement for the remainder of the year.”

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,046 hiring managers and human resource professionals between May 14 and June 5, 2013.

Separate research by Economic Modeling Specialists, a CareerBuilder company, found temporary work accounted for 15 percent of all job growth nationally over the last four years, although the industry only comprises roughly two percent of the nation’s workforce. In larger markets, the share of temporary job growth since 2009 is much higher, with the research attributing 40 percent of new jobs in cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Milwaukee to temporary work.