New York City ( December 29, 2009 ) A study released Tuesday by CareerBuilder found that 20% of employers plan to increase the number of full-time, permanent employees in 2010, up from 14% in 2009.

The CareerBuilder 2010 Job Forecast also showed that only 9% of surveyed employers planned to decrease headcount in 2010, down from 16% last year, while 61% don't plan to change staff levels and 10% are unsure.

“There have been many signs over the past few months that point to the healing of the U.S. economy, especially the continued decrease in the number of jobs lost per month," Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, said in a statement.

Part-time opportunities are on the rise, as 11% of employers said they plan to add part-time employees in 2010, up from 9% in 2009.

Just 8% said they plan to decrease their part-time help in the year ahead, down from 14%, while 69% plan no change in headcount and 13% are unsure.

When asked which areas employers plan to hire for in the year ahead, one-third said technology, followed by customer service.

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