Recruitment in the UK gained a boost from rising employer confidence in February, according to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) JobsOutlook survey.

The survey, which tracks future hiring intentions by British companies, showed that 62 per cent of the employers surveyed would be looking to increase their permanent workforce during the next three months, with 32 per cent planning to keep their permanent staff at current levels.

Around a third of employers – 31 per cent – said they were looking to grow the number of temporary staff working for them during the next three months, with 54 per cent planning to keep their temporary workforces at existing levels.

The director of research at the REC, Roger Tweedy, said that the new figures showed a 10-point rise from the corresponding measurements in January, and came as good news in light of the introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations in October last year.

“The fact that nearly two thirds of employers continue to predict a slight increase in permanent staffing is clearly a positive sign that is likely to be bolstered by this week’s budget. Overall business and consumer confidence, although still fragile, also seems to be picking up,” he said.

“Last year, employer confidence began to build at this time only to fall away sharply over the summer, so it is still early days. However, there are signs that the current momentum in the jobs market will be more durable this time round.”