More than a quarter of Lawrence employers plan to hire more employees during the next three months, according to a new survey from Manpower Inc.

In its Employment Outlook Survey for the second quarter, Manpower said that 27 percent of Lawrence employers said they had plans to add workers, while 7 percent expected to have cuts.

The expectations for the quarter were equal to the survey’s statewide average but down from the optimism Lawrence employers had indicated a year ago. For the second quarter of 2004, 37 percent of employers planned to add workers and none envisioned job cuts.

“There were several companies last year that had some new production lines coming in,” said Nancy Slabaugh, area manager for Manpower in Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan, Junction City, Ottawa and Alma. “That could have contributed to the higher numbers last year.”

The latest survey indicates that the best job prospects for Lawrence should be in construction, manufacturing of nondurable goods, finance/insurance/real estate, education, services and public administration, Slabaugh said.

Manufacturers of durable goods plan to cut jobs, while employers in wholesale/retail trade voiced mixed hiring intentions, Slabaugh said.

Manpower’s U.S. survey — covering nearly 16,000 private and public employers in 470 markets, including Lawrence — found that 30 percent of employers planned to add to their payrolls in the second quarter, while 7 percent expected to make cuts.

Manpower’s survey has been conducted for more than 40 years and is considered a leading indicator of future employment activity.