The recession has seen an increase in corporate prisoners - workers stuck in jobs they would otherwise leave, according to talent consultancy Chiumento.

Chiumento director Ian Gooden, says there are six kinds of corporate prisoner:

The escaper: One in five employees fall into this, the largest group. Escapers plan to leave as soon as they can find another job.

 The visiting star: The worker that arrived to ride out the economic storm or make a quick jump on the career ladder, a too-good-to-be-true candidate that has raised the bar, adding pace and transferring skills and will be looking to move on.

The economic prisoner: The worker who wants to protect their position and can’t afford to move because their pre-recession pay and benefits could never be matched elsewhere. Their loyalty is linked to reward rather than true engagement.

Prisoners of circumstance: The worker that may be stuck with a poor leader, a need to work locally, or to work limited hours. A lack of individual choice may lead to alienation and a decline in performance.

Prisoners of conscience: These employees love what they do, they believe in the cause, you hired them when they were the best available but they have reached the limit of their abilities. Their commitment maintains loyalty, keeps employee engagement high, but does nothing for your business’s performance.

The lifer: Lifers provide stability and act as the corporate memory bank, they are unlikely to be particularly open to the kind of change needed to overcome the challenges the UK faces over the coming months.