The jobs market was on the "long road to recovery", with demand for staff growing at the strongest rate since the summer of 2007, according to a new report.
Research among 400 recruitment and employment consultancies showed permanent staff placements increased for the sixth month running in January.
Jobs for temporary staff also increased, although at a lower rate than in December.
Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, said: "The growth in people getting permanent jobs eased in January but still remained positive overall. The number of vacancies reported by recruitment businesses also accelerated at the sharpest rate since July 2007, suggesting that we are now on the long road to recovery.
"The labour market is out of intensive care but it is still in a fragile state. While employers are hiring more now than at any other time in the last year, the recovery is tentative and must not be put at risk by taxes or regulatory changes."
Bernard Brown of KPMG, which helped with the study, added: "The UK jobs market is continuing its journey back to health. Placements of permanent and temporary jobs have been rising again in January although at a slower pace than a month before, a reminder that the road to recovery will be bumpy.
"As confidence has returned to the private sector the starting gun for a public sector recession has only just been fired and its impact on the jobs market will be felt over the next 12 to 18 months."
