Badenoch & Clark says that employers remain cautious in their hiring, but warns that they need to gear up for hiring now or risk missing out when the upturn comes.

Neil Wilson, managing of Badenoch & Clark, says: “Despite what appears to be some very early green shoots and some positive messages from economists, many employers are adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude when it comes to their hiring plans.

“This is understandable at one level, but employers do need to start thinking now about their resource requirements for when the upturn comes or risk being caught out.

“There are some employers who see the current economic difficulty as an opportunity to attract professional talent that might not normally be available to them.

“Professionals in demand include commercially minded accountants, business analysts, programme and project managers, IT specialists and compliance/risk management experts.”

“We’re anticipating a growth in demand for temporary professional staff in the second half of 2009 as employers start reacting to the anticipated easing in the country’s economic difficulties.”