At least some employers in the Topeka and Kansas City metropolitan areas expect to be hiring workers during the second quarter of 2009, according to a Manpower Inc. survey.

From April to June, 14 percent of companies surveyed in Topeka and 11 percent in Kansas City plan to hire more people, the survey found.

Yet another 14 percent of companies in Topeka and 13 percent in Kansas City plan to reduce their payrolls.
Manpower found that the best job prospects in Topeka for the second quarter include construction, transportation and utilities, information, and leisure and hospitality.

Best job prospects for Kansas City include construction, nondurable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and professional and business services.

Manpower is an employment services company based in Milwaukee and tracks the employment situation around the nation.

Last week unemployed Kansans began receiving an additional $25 in their weekly benefit payments. Anyone who was eligible for benefits the week of Feb. 22 or later receives the funds automatically on the Citi debit cards, according to the Kansas Department of Labor. The additional money is part of the federal economic recovery package signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17.