Despite the stuttering recovery in the economy, there are promising signs in the recruitment sector.

Tom Lovell, group managing director of specialist recruitment consultancy Reed, comments on the labour market statistics for May 2011 published today by The Office for National Statistics: “Through May, we have seen an increase in job opportunities across the board compared to April. The series of holidays in April reduced the flow of jobs but now the cluster of bank holidays is out of the way we expect to see an increase in job opportunities as organisations look to fill any gaps before the summer holiday season gets into full swing.

“May saw an upturn in the permanent jobs market, with a 23 percent increase in permanent jobs taken in May compared to April this year. We saw a similar effect in the temporary jobs market, with a ten percent increase in the number of temporary workers placed in May 2011 compared to April. Interviews arranged were also up by 13 percent. “We have also seen some sectors perform especially well during May, with accounting, finance and education being particular standouts. They all saw increases in temporary jobs, permanent jobs and interviews attended when compared to April this year.

“The Reed Job Index also found that overall employer demand is up 18 percent year on year. Although the majority of growth has come from the private sector, it’s interesting to note that public sector employer demand is at its highest since July last year.”