City firms start recruiting again

MORE City firms plan to crank up their recruitment drives than at any time in the past six years.

A survey by recruitment specialist Manpower shows a net 23% of firms in the finance and business services sectors intend to hire more staff over the next three months, up from 16% in the previous quarter.

However, hiring across other sectors of the capital's economy remains painfully slow.

Overall, a net 8% of London firms plan to take on new staff over the next three months, the joint lowest reading in the country with Scotland and the West Midlands. The national average is 18%.

Michaella Rogers, Manpower's group business manager for the London region, said: 'We've seen sustainable growth in both job vacancies and permanent placements and our clients are also advertising more proactively.'

Jobs confidence in the manufacturing sector hit a seven-year high while the hotels and retail sector recorded the best outlook since the end of 2001.

'In spite of increases to interest rates and concerns about the future of the housing market, companies remain confident about their future hiring intentions,' said Hazel Detsiny, director at Manpower.

The survey was based on replies from 2,500 British employers.