Omaha, Neb. ? Business managers and leaders in a nine-state region of the Midwest were more optimistic about their markets in June than they had been during the past two years, a monthly survey showed Tuesday.

The overall index for the Mid-America Business Conditions Survey rose to 57.3 in June from May’s 55.3, said Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss, who conducts the survey.

A reading below 50 means manufacturing activity is slowing; above 50 indicates the industry is growing.

Goss surveys business leaders and manufacturers in nine states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The employment index for the region rose to 55.7, a dramatic leap from May’s 48.5 and the highest reading for that indicator in almost three years.

“While the strong reading for June was in part due to comparisons to poor hiring in May, I expect this upturn to show up in the job market over the summer months,” Goss said. “Furthermore, I expect the government hiring statistics, which come out this Thursday, to be better than most economists expect.”