The job market was a laggard in the economic recovery for most of last year, but hiring managers say 2004 might be different.

More than half of 400 hiring managers said in a recent survey they would replace workers who had quit or been laid off, and nearly a third, 32 percent, said they’ll recruit this year to expand operations.

Still, despite the glut of unemployed folks, more than a third, 36 percent, said it has been difficult to locate proper candidates. In particular, these managers are having the most trouble filling customer service, sales and accounting/financial operations positions.

Music, movies hottest sites

Pop culture Web sites, including music and movies, were the most sought-after Internet sites during 2003, according to search engine operators Yahoo! and Google. The companies analyzed the search terms that appeared most often on their sites, and found that file-sharing software KaZaa was tops. To the recording industry, KaZaa means illegal music downloading. After KaZaa at Yahoo!, Harry Potter, “American Idol,” Britney Spears and rapper 50 Cent were the top searches.

Rival Google does not rank its top searches on an annual basis.

but a spokeswoman says the most popular searches included pop singer Britney Spears, fictional boy wizard Harry Potter, Iraq and the film “The Matrix.”

AP-ES-01-06-04 1553EST