Despite a recovering job market, there appears to be no year-over-year increase in employers’ summer hiring plans this year, according to CareerBuilder’s Annual Summer Hiring Forecast, released today.

According to the survey of more than 2,700 employers nationwide, 22 percent of employers plan to hire seasonal workers this summer, in line with estimates from 2009. Fifteen percent of employers say they are planning to hire the same amount of summer workers as last year, while 5 percent plan to add fewer.

“While companies have begun to take steps in the right direction toward rebuilding their workforces, their summer hiring plans clearly show that they are still waiting to see what the future brings before they move forward with recruitment,” said Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, in the press release.

Summer plans? Of those employers who say they plan to hire seasonal workers this summer,

• 71 percent will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while 14 percent will offer more…
• …and 57 percent will consider bringing these employees on full-time in the fall.

What’s a seasonal worker worth? Here’s a breakdown of the compensation offerings from employers this summer:

• 43 percent of employers are offering $10 or more per hour
• 30 percent will offer between $8 and $10 per hour
• 9 percent will offer less than $7 per hour
• 6 percent will offer $20 or more per hour

Who’s hiring? Across all industries, those doing the most hiring include:

• Retail – 40 percent
• Hospitality – 33 percent
• Office support – 28 percent
• Customer service – 21 percent
• Landscape/maintenance – 16 percent
• Research – 13 percent
• Sales – 12 percent
• Restaurant/food service – 12 percent

While the moderate hiring forecast inevitably means more competition among job seekers, it doesn’t necessarily mean recruiting and hiring managers are going to have it any easier when it comes to finding qualified workers. If you’re in the market to hire, follow these tips from QSR Magazine:

1. Think “seasonal,” not “temporary”: The term temporary implies that workers aren’t really invested in the company when in fact you want employees who are sufficiently invested in the company and its future. (Workforce.com also has a great article about how to manage “nonstandard” work arrangements.)
2. Consider rehiring: Managers often keep track of former seasonal workers who are on breaks from school again and may be interested in coming back for work again. You also save money on training this way.
3. There’s no time like the present: Summer workers begin looking up to two months in advance…meaning employers would do well to start their candidate searches now in order to get their pick of the seasonal talent litter.
4. Set clear expectations from the start: To avoid confusion/trouble/plain-ol’-awkwardness later on, ensure your employees understand from the beginning that they are being hired as seasonal help, that their hours or a full-time position are not guaranteed, or anything else they need to understand about their contracts.