The jobs outlook is at its strongest since before the recession, with an increasing number of employers planning to recruit staff, according to a new report.
Employment group Manpower said a survey of 2,100 firms showed a slight majority were looking to take on workers.
Manpower said the study suggested that the jobs market shows no sign of slowing down, although it added that thousands of jobs have been created by finance firms to deal with PPI mis-selling.
These extra jobs were not a sign of a thriving banking sector, but were linked to the clearing up of mistakes from the past, said Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower.
He added: "We've noticed that a number of public sector organisations have begun recruiting again with renewed vigour. Again, don't be fooled - austerity is still the order of the day, but in their efforts to implement budget cuts there has been a degree of over-firing. In other words, in their zeal to cut budgets, too many people may have been laid off.
"Now councils and other bodies have realised that if they want to maintain vital public services they are going to need to start recruiting again, but this time a lot more smartly."
