Hiring in Los Angeles and Orange counties is expected to slow next quarter, according to a survey released Tuesday from Milwaukee staffing firm Manpower Inc.

The quarterly survey found that 14 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees during the first quarter of next year, down from 17 percent during the current quarter and 18 percent during the first quarter of this year. This figure is also lower than the national average of 17 percent.

Eight percent of employers plan to lay off workers, down from 13 percent during the current quarter, though the same level as the first quarter of this year.

Seventy-five percent of companies interviewed plan to keep their current staffing levels next quarter, up from 70 percent in the current quarter.

For the coming quarter, the survey indicated job prospects appear best in wholesale and retail, information (including the motion picture industry), professional and business services and private education/health services.