Prospects for hiring full-time staff are closely mirroring pre-recession estimates, finds job site CareerBuilder’s survey of over 2,000 employers across the US.

It is the most optimistic fourth quarter projection since 2007, with 26% of employers looking to increase full-time permanent headcount. Since 2007’s level of 27%, numbers have stood at 23% in 2008, 17% in 2009 and 21% in both 2010 and 2011.

In Q3, 32% of employers added full-time workers, up from 26% last year, while cuts were seen at 12% of firms, up slightly from Q3 2011’s 11%.

The survey also found that the plans to hire were more prevalent among firms with more staff, and also most commonly reported by firms in the West of the country, while the Mid-West held the least confidence.

Matt Ferguson, chief executive of CareerBuilder, says: “We’re seeing continued evidence of stability and growth in the US job market. A dramatic upswing in hiring is not likely to happen in the near term, but we’re setting the stage for better job creation in 2013 and beyond.”