A survey found signs of a slow but steady recovery in the Lawrence job market.

Manpower Inc.’s quarterly Employment Outlook Survey, released Tuesday, found that area companies were slightly more optimistic about their hiring plans this year than a year ago.

The survey found that for the October-to-December period, 30 percent of the companies interviewed planned to hire more employees while 3 percent intended to cut back. A year ago, 23 percent of companies surveyed planned to increase hiring while none planned reductions.

“I would say I’m satisfied with the results,” said Nancy Slabaugh, manager of Manpower’s Lawrence operations. “I think they show that there is a gradual recovery going on, but there certainly hasn’t been a sudden surge of employment. But at least it isn’t declining anymore.”

The fourth-quarter survey results, though, are not as strong as the third quarter results. During the third quarter, 40 percent of companies planned to hire more workers, while none intended to cut back.

Slabaugh said she wasn’t particularly concerned about the drop because the fourth quarter often was slower than the third quarter due to a loss of jobs in the construction and landscaping industries.

Cheryl White, a manager of the Lawrence Workforce Center, said she agreed that the area job market was gradually improving.

“There are a few more job listings coming in every week,” White said. “We’re starting to have some small businesses come in and make contact with us. That’s usually a positive sign when the small businesses come in.”

Jobs in the retail trade sector are expected to be among the most plentiful during the fourth quarter, according to the survey. Area retailers said they were cautiously optimistic that the upcoming holiday shopping season would be strong.

“We think it should be better than last year as long as gas prices at least stabilize and don’t go any higher,” said Joe Flannery, president of Weaver’s department store in downtown Lawrence, which will increase its employee totals by about 15 percent during the fourth quarter.

Slabaugh listed energy prices as one of the factors that could potentially derail the recovery. She said companies also were still wary of another terrorist event that could slow business activity.

“I think that is still in the back of everyone’s mind,” Slabaugh said.

Slabaugh said the toughest jobs to find in the Lawrence area continued to be information technology positions, which have been in short supply for the past several years.

Slabaugh said she didn’t see that segment of the market improving anytime soon.

“We see a lot of people come in who have an IT background and now they’re willing to do about anything,” Slabaugh said. “That was the hot market several years ago, and now it is kind of flooded.”