Los Angeles employers say they plan modest hiring during the first quarter of next year, according to a survey to be released Tuesday from Manpower Inc.

The Milwaukee staffing giant’s quarterly survey of employers in Los Angeles and Orange counties found that 15 percent plan to increase staff, 6 percent plan layoffs and 78 percent plan to keep staffing levels constant.

The hiring figure is a slight drop from three months ago, when 17 percent of employers planned to hire more workers in the fourth quarter. It’s also down from 17 percent a year ago.

But in a good sign, the layoff figure was also down substantially from three months ago, when 13 percent of employer respondents said they would decrease staff levels during the fourth quarter.

That helped push the net employment outlook (percent of employers planning to hire workers minus the percent planning layoffs) to 9 percent, up from 4 percent for the fourth quarter outlook.

Manpower spokeswoman Marcelle Thorn said the figures show local employers anticipate a stronger job market in the first quarter of next year compared to the fourth quarter of this year. But it’s still not quite as strong as a year ago, she said.

The percentage of Los Angeles employers who said they planned to add staff was lower than the national average of 20 percent.

For the first quarter of next year, local job prospects appear best for construction, manufacturing, the retail sector, professional/business services, education, and health services.