UK firms upbeat over future
British workers are optimistic about their future prospects and most British firms plan to hire extra staff in the next few months, according to two new reports published ahead of new unemployment figures today.
Official data from Britain's Office for National Statistics was expected to show another fall in the number of people out of work, which stood at 1.4 million in April.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefit was also expected to fall from its May total of 862,000.
A new poll of 1,500 workers found that those in professional services were more optimistic than employees in manufacturing.
Insurance giant AXA said its research showed that only 15% of workers were pessimistic.
Mike Butler, risk control strategy manager at AXA, said: “The majority of the UK workforce clearly seems to be feeling upbeat about their work and also about what the future might bring to their sectors.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said a report to be published later this month will show that the economic recovery was gathering pace.
Almost two thirds of firms will say they plan to hire extra staff this summer, although many will be for part time posts.
Chief economist Dr John Philpott said: “The economic recovery is gathering pace and the labour market is getting ever tighter as more organisations look to recruit and fewer plan to make redundancies.”
