Most firms plan on maintaining or increasing recruitment of business support professionals, according to a new survey.

The 2009 market report, from secretarial and business support recruiter Crone Corkill, shows that 39% of companies plan to increase headcount in 2009.

The survey also shows that while general market data is predicting a downturn in temporary hiring overall, legislative changes around flexible working practices should continue to impact on hiring demand.

Tracy Durrant, managing director of Crone Corkill, says: “Maternity leave, for example, is often a big driver of temporary demand.”

“And with maternity and paternity leave rights becoming more generous, we would expect this to be a continuing trend throughout 2009.”