NEW YORK, Dec 15 - Overall business conditions for New York State manufacturers remained near record highs in December and employment readings improved, the Federal Reserve said on Monday. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said its Empire State Manufacturing Survey index of business conditions eased to 37.4 in December, just a few points off a revised record high of 40.1 for November. The survey provides an early snapshot of factory activity during the month and has at time served as a leading indicator for other regional manufacturing measures. But it has a short history and the correlation has not always held up. "Nearly half of respondents reported that conditions had improved from last month, while only 11 percent reported that conditions had deteriorated," the New York Fed said. The number of employees index rose to 11.5 in December from 9.3, and future indexes jumped. The future number of employees jumped 8 points and the future capital expenditures index rose 12 points to a record high.//