Understandably, most wishes revolve around troubling economic conditions

Julia Feuell, managing director at travel recruiter New Frontiers, told Recruiter her wish was: “To wake up and find the difficult trading period is really all a dream.”

Peter Burgess, director at retail recruiter Retail HR, says: “My wish would be that the banks start being banks again and lending money.  When they do that the economy will pick up again and things will return to normal. 

“My secondary wish is that if the banks do not start lending again, that they be nationalised and the main boards of all four big banks spend time in jail before spending the rest of their lives in job centres.”

John Major, general manager at driving recruiter activ8, adds: “My Christmas wish is that the British economy survives. Without it, a lot of recruitment companies are going to come unstuck. I wish that the economy picks up and gets back to normal.”