After reams of middle management layoffs during the recession, a report Tuesday signaled a possible trend reversal in certain cities.

According to CareerCast.com's JobSerf Employment Index report, managerial recruitment rose 9.9 percent in March over February. The index, which measures managerial hiring activity online, hit 116.9 points to reach the highest level its been since launching in 2008. The index was registered 44.1 points as of March 2009 during the depths of the recession.

"The past two months have shown a steady rebound in the job market," said CareerCast's publisher Tony Lee."If the upward trend continues, executives who have been out of work or seeking a change, will have an easier time finding suitable employment."

The report found seven cities with double-digit jumps in executive hiring so far this month. Management recruitment rose in Memphis (14%), St. Louis (13%), Tampa (12%), Los Angeles (10%), Miami (10%), San Diego (10%), and Nashville (10%).

To compare, three cities saw a drop in managerial hiring for March, despite double-digit increases the month before. Detroit's management hiring fell 7 percent, Milwaukee fell 5 percent, and Cleveland fell 3 percent.

JobSerf COO Jay Martin, attributed the declines in Detroit, Milwaukee and Cleveland to "normal hiring fluctuations." He noted that the Midwest saw an overall dip in hiring while the "entire West lags in both performance and degree of recovery."

It is not immediately clear just where the Twin Cities ranked, but it did not fall in the top 10 best or worst categories.

CareerCast's index comes after last week's hopeful jobs report for the state of Minnesota. Employers here reported 6,200 job gains for February with much of the hiring coming from the education, healthcare and government sectors. It is not known how many of those jobs were management positions.