More jobs may be available for DeKalb job seekers this year as employers plan to increase hiring activities.

Manpower, a Milwaukee-based employment services firm, predicted a strong job market for 2005 in a survey of 16,000 companies worldwide.

“Employers are more optimistic about hiring in 2005 than 2004,” said Stacy Safranek, branch manager of Manpower. “Nearly 25 years have passed since employers were so confident in the job forecast.”

The December International Manpower Employment Outlook Survey noted 24 percent of companies in the DeKalb and Sycamore area plan to hire more employees from January to March.

“Our survey includes a large variety of companies,” Safranek said.

The survey indicates a strong job outlook for jobs in construction, durable and non-durable goods, manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, services, public administration, wholesale/retail, finance and real estate.

The survey indicated new hires in DeKalb, and city officials were hopeful the predictions would hold true.

“We’ve had a substantial amount of commercial growth, and we are hoping that people will take notice of it,” said Kim Kubiak, executive director of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

New businesses are helping to spur commercial growth as well as hiring activities by providing more jobs for the community, Kubiak said. “Target, 3M and Alloyd Company are some of the major contributors that have helped to increase the job market and are continuing to expand.”

Local employers agree they are planning to increase hiring activities for the year.

Opportunities for executive positions are available year round, said Diana Channing, store manager of Target, 2555 Sycamore Road.

“Being so close to campus, we are always interested in new talent for supervisor positions and executive managers, which is a huge opportunity for college students,” Channing said.

Other companies also plan to increase employment this year.

Last year, Alloyd/SCA Packaging Company, headquartered in DeKalb, had some of the highest employment growth in the consumer packaging division with an increased employment rate of about 5 percent, said Ron Leach, president and CEO of Alloyd/SCA Packaging in North America.

“In 2005, we are anticipating another year of significant growth,” Leach said.