Jobs outlook 'bleak' say employers

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A survey of 500 employers showed that private firms were most pessimistic, although public sector organisations were also cutting jobs, especially in local government.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said its research showed for the first time that the recession was hitting public sector employment.

Chief economist John Philpott said: "While I expect private sector net employment intentions to start to improve in the near future, the current figures for the public sector will look like a walk in the park as the drive to balance the books gets under way in earnest."

More than one in four organisations said they had no intention of carrying out a pay review this year, while a third of private companies planned wage freezes.

Andrew Smith, chief economist at KPMG, which helped with the research, added: "While low wage increases and even absolute cuts may help to reduce business costs and somewhat ameliorate job losses for now, there is also a potential downside as, collectively, lower incomes also reduce aggregate demand.

"Whichever way you look at it, the labour market outlook remains bleak - even though some data is showing signs that the freefall in economic activity may be coming to an end."