(RALEIGH) -- A new survey released Tuesday by employment services firm ManpowerGroup finds the Raleigh-Cary area with one of the weakest employment outlooks in the nation. The findings were tabulated by Manpower who conducted interviews with 18,000 employers in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Manpower compiled a list of the best and worst cities for jobs in the third quarter 2011, and the Raleigh/Cary region was ranked in cities with a weak outlook. The survey says, from July to September, 15 percent of the companies who responded plan to hire more employees, 13 percent expect staff cuts, and two thirds don't anticipate any change. Manpower said the data gives Raleigh-Cary a net employment outlook of just 2 percent.

Compare that to the national average which Manpower says sits at eight percent.  Michael dole, an executive with Manpower, says while the new numbers for the Raleigh-Cary area weak, they don't show the bigger picture.

"If you look at past scores they've been really strong, if not stronger than most other markets. I think Raleigh, at one point, was one of the top in the nation. I think maybe we got a little ahead of the curve."

Now, Dole says employers are more in line with playing it safe. "With some of the skiddishness in the marketplace, we've become more conservative."

While the Raleigh-Cary region has a weak forecast, Manpower found Asheville to have a sunnier summer forecast. Nearly a third of employers in the Asheville market reported positive forecasts, while sixty percent said they don't have plans to alter employment status in either direction. With a net employment outlook of 23 percent, Asheville is ranked second best in places, nationwide, for finding a job this summer.