Iowa employers are growing more pessimistic than they were three months ago, finds the fourth-quarter results of the Hamilton Hiring Survey.

Among the respondents, 40 percent are either somewhat or very optimistic about overall job growth, a decline from 47 percent in the third quarter. The survey also reveals that there is clear growth in the number of companies that do not plan to change the number of their employees, and the amount of companies that plan to add jobs declined.

"Nationally, confidence among U.S. small businesses dropped to a 13-month low in August," says Hamilton Group President and staffing expert Tom Hamilton. "However, we are seeing better hiring resiliency among Iowa employers. Although we're seeing the hiring outlook decline, survey results show Iowa is not reflecting the same depth of pessimism seen in many other areas of the country."