Sep. 20--Metro Atlantans are waiting for signs.

The economy is struggling out of recession, experts say, but real improvement comes at street level.

James Higginbotham of Locust Grove isn't seeing it yet. The 26-year-old sheet-metal worker was laid off in May and has been searching for a job since. With the construction collapse, demand for his skills is weak.

"I've got a list of places," he said. "I go through it. Nobody I called is hiring."

To save money, he and his wife and their two toddlers moved from a $700-a-month home to a more affordable trailer. Last week, his wife was laid off from her job at a day care center. He gets $355 a week in unemployment benefits, he said.

"That ain't enough to support my family."

Staffing companies are often seen as the leading edge of the job market, said Judith Clark, director of public relations for Kelly Services.

"Typically staffing is the first to be let go and now, you will see an uptick in staffing before the rest of the market," she said.

The good news right now is that things aren't getting worse, she said. "I am very optimistic about the job market. It seems to have leveled off. It seems to have stabilized."

Emily Carlson, area vice president for north Atlanta for Randstad, another staffing company, said some businesses are seeing more demand for products.

Unfortunately, when they call staffing companies, they ask mostly for temporary or "contract" workers, she said.

"Companies are not ready to commit to permanent head count. So this helps them to staff up. Wait and see is the game we are in right now."

The signal she is waiting for is the moment when companies choose "temp-to-perm" -- when they take contract workers with the understanding that a good worker will be hired.

"That would be a signal that companies are much more encouraged," Carlson said.

Manila Sisamouth, 39, would love a chance to sign on permanently. The Roswell woman has a six-month contract as an operations analyst for a large insurance company.

It took six months to land that slot, she said. "There was a lot of competition -- people applying for the same job. It does add to the stress."

The company that matched her to the job, Alpharetta-based SiriusWorks, focuses on information technology. Not that long ago, that sector was holding up better than most. When the recession deepened a year ago, cost-cutting caught up to technology.

"It wasn't instantaneous where all of a sudden we had nothing -- we did see more contract positions," said Jane Smith, vice president SiriusWorks.