The Monster Employment Index edged up one percentage point in June, recovering slightly from a 2% drop in May. However, overall the index was 38% down on the same month a year ago.

There were a number of bright spots, particularly in healthcare, education

and telecoms, where the index rose.  However, there were falls in construction, leisure and hospitality. London saw the biggest increase in online job availability, with smaller increases in North England, the South-West and the Northern region. Wales saw the biggest fall.

Hugo Sellert, head of economic research at Monster Worldwide, told Recruiter that recruitment activity was bumping along the bottom, and that the trend was here to stay for the rest of the summer.

Sellert says there is some evidence of increased confidence in the service sector, and that this will lead to some new jobs. However, he adds: “Not enough to stop unemployment rising through to the end of the year.

“We are seeing some improvement in hiring in the economy but most employers are maintaining their hiring freezes. We don’t expect a pick up until the autumn.”