Local employers say they plan to slow down their hiring and will likely lay off more people in the fourth quarter than earlier in the year. And they are also more cautious about hiring plans than their counterparts nationwide, according to a survey to be released Tuesday by Manpower Inc.

The Milwaukee staffing giant’s quarterly survey of employers in Los Angeles and Orange counties found that 17 percent plan to increase staff, 13 percent plan layoffs and 67 percent plan to keep staffing levels constant.

Those figures represent a significant slowdown from three months ago, when 22 percent planned to hire additional staff and only 6 percent planned layoffs.

In a further sign of caution, employers also say they are much more willing to lay off workers than they were a year ago. The percentage of employers planning layoffs stands at 13 percent, more than double the 6 percent who were planning layoffs off the same period last year.

“Local employers anticipate a considerably weaker hiring pace compared to the third quarter,” said Manpower spokeswoman Marcelle Thorn. “And last year at this time, employers expected more hiring activity.”

What’s more, the Manpower figures show Los Angeles area employers are far more cautious than employers nationwide, where 22 percent of employers expect to increase staff during the fourth quarter and only 6 percent plan to reduce staff.

“The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana employment outlook is one of the weakest in the nation,” Thorn said.

For the fourth quarter, local job prospects appear best for construction, manufacturing of non-durable goods, the retail sector, education and health services and financial services. Employers in durable goods manufacturing, leisure and hospitality and government say they plan to reduce staff.