Most employers and recruiters anticipate hiring more professionals in the second half of 2010, according to a survey by Dice Holdings, our parent company. Of those planning to hire, nearly half - 49 percent - say they'll add up to 10 percent more employees than they did in the first half of 2010. Twenty eight percent see themselves increasing hiring by 11-20 percent.

Twenty six say the time it takes to fill new positions is starting to shorten. Although that's still a minority, it represents the strongest reading since the survey began two years ago. One of the key reasons: an increase in recruiting for new positions - cited by 20 percent of respondents, up from 9 percent last November. That indicates a greater urgency to build staff.

A quarter of employers and recruiters see salaries for new hires rising, compared to just 10 percent six months ago. Also, 69 percent believe layoffs aren't likely at their companies within the next six months, an improvement over last November's 61 percent.  

Here's the full report.

-- Mark Feffer