UK employers are reporting improved hiring plans for the first time in three years, offering hope to job seekers.

The Employment Outlook Survey by recruitment services firm Manpower shows a rise in projected hiring during October to December - the first time since the same period in 2006.

It claims this could be a sign the economic downturn is turning in a more positive direction, though the employment outlook still indicates a slight drop in jobs of two percent as the UK’s Net Employment Outlook rises from -6% to -2% in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Mark Cahill, Managing Director at Manpower UK, explains: “There are a number of early positive hiring indicators emerging, from employers in sectors including finance and business services, public and social and construction, which suggest we may have reached a turning point.

"It is evident through our branch network that employers are tapping into more experienced individuals to resource roles traditionally filled by graduates or first jobbers. Our advice would be to not underestimate the value that the perceived ‘lost generation’ can bring through apprenticeships and internships; indeed, there was a war for talent among this demographic only a year ago. However, since then we have seen the pressure to cut costs push employers to resource tactically not strategically."