Almost 20% of UK employers have recruited more staff in the first quarter of 2006, according to results from the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
About three-quarters (71%) of the 2,100 UK employers surveyed said there was no change in their hiring intentions and 9% were planning to reduce their workforce.
Job prospects in London and the North East were the most buoyant with 29% of London businesses and 35% of companies in the North East taking on more staff.
Mark Cahill, managing director at Manpower UK, said: “The uplift in hiring intentions we saw at the start of the year is continuing across all business sectors and almost all regions of the UK.”
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Confidence is highest in the finance and business services sector, where 26% of employers are looking to take on more staff and 6% are looking to reduce their payrolls.
Almost 20% of manufacturing organisations were also recruiting in the first quarter, followed by 19% of organisations in the utilities sector.
