Managerial recruitment activity in the US increased significantly in March,with a gain of 9.9 points against February, according to the latest CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index.

The index stands at 116.9 points, an increase of 72.8 points from March 2009, with the last two months showing “a steady rebound in the job market,” according to Tony Lee, publisher at CareerCast.com.

Seven US cities saw double digit increases this month: Memphis (+14%), St. Louis (+13%), Tampa (+12%), Los Angeles (+10%), Miami (+10%), San Diego (+10%), and Nashville (+10%), while only three cities (Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee) saw a loss in managerial hiring in March, and all of these had shown double-digit gains in February.

CareerCast.com also notes that nationally, the number of Americans claiming new unemployment benefits dropped to a four-year low last week.