Eastern Iowa companies plan increased hiring in the third quarter, according to a new survey, although not as high as usual for this time of year.

Cambridge Staffing reported that 54 percent of the 59 employers it surveyed plan to hire in July, August and September, versus 29 percent of those surveyed about their April, May and June hiring plans.

The third quarter is typically the strongest quarter of the year for hiring. The survey normally finds 75 percent of companies planning to hire in the third quarter.

The surveyed employers plan to hire 704 new employees in the next three months, up 284 percent from the 248 employees they planned to hire in the last three months.

“The current report shows positive trends in hiring,” Cambridge Staffing General Manager Chuck Roe said. “Manufacturing is on a definite upswing and a slight increase in wages is expected.”

The survey found 59 percent of the companies plan to hire over the next 12 months, compared to 29 percent in the previous survey.

While pleased to have an upward trend to report, Roe said companies were reluctant to forecast beyond the third quarter due to the uncertain economy.

Sixty-four percent of manufacturers expect to hire, compared to 42 percent of service companies. Only two companies said they plan to lay off workers.

“We are starting to see some light at the end of the job tunnel,” Cambridge Staffing owner Mike Cambridge said. He said the findings did not answer questions about the reasons for the hiring, or the potential impact of government layoffs and budget cuts in the late fall.