A survey of 2,100 employers, carried out by recruitment specialists Manpower, has illustrated the labour market is making positive moves towards recovery. UK employers are reporting their most encouraging recruitment intentions for over a year, the UK might not be out of recession but the overall labour market is starting to improve.

According to the Manpower report the finance and business services sectors are showing the most confidence as many of the banks return to profit. Not all sectors are experiencing the same positivity with the future still looking bleak for both the manufacturing and construction.

Mark Cahill, managing director at Manpower UK, said: "The glimmer of hope we saw last quarter is now turning into an encouraging spark. The deeply troubled finance and business services sector of a year ago, which now has the most positive hiring intentions of any industry sector in the UK, is testament to this turnaround in hiring sentiment. While there is still some way to go before the UK makes a full recovery, it is encouraging to see this key sector return to growth."

Eight of the UK's twelve regions have reported positive hiring intentions, with the south-west being the most confident and Wales the least.

Separately, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) report an improvement of 1.8% in like-for-like retail sales compared to a November 2008, when they were down 2.6% as the credit crunch took hold,

Stephen Robertson, the BRC's director general, said: "We would have expected much stronger growth because the comparison is with very poor results in 2008 when November was the second-worst performing month of the year. Consumer confidence is fragile and has taken a turn for the worse. Uncertainty over jobs and future tax increases and government spending cuts is making customers more cautious. Retailers are hopeful of a better Christmas than last year's dire performance, but it's still all to play for."

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