A fall in
the number of people placed in permanent jobs has been recorded for the third
consecutive month, according to research.
The
Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) survey also shows that the
decline is at its fastest rate since the survey began in October 1997.
The
research reveals that average weekly billings from temporary staff employment
increased modestly in August for the fourth month running.
But the REC
believes that continued growth in the temporary market is supported in part by
the preference of employers to use temporary staff over full-time staff because
of the uncertain economic climate.
National
newspaper press recruitment advertising also fell from a record high in August
2000 to a ten-year low in July this year.
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Only an
increase in the number of unfilled vacancies at job centres by 22.4 per cent in
July compared with a year ago indicates an improvement in demand for staff.
By Ben
Willmott
