Government 'must support business recruitment'

The government has been urged to cut red tape and tax increases relating to employing new staff.

Director of research at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Roger Tweedy said that Whitehall officials should remove any barriers which could be standing in the way of increased business hiring.

In its monthly Jobs Outlook survey, the REC discovered that 94 per cent of firms are planning to expand or maintain their current workforce over the next 12 month.

Furthermore, a quarter of respondents said they intend to increase their use of temporary workers, which the organisation said highlights the importance of contract and freelance positions to employers and jobseekers.

But Mr Tweedy warned that this increase in business confidence could be derailed if the government continues to increase taxation on employers.

"It is still a long road back to full employment in the UK," he added.

The British Chambers of Commerce has also hit out at tax hikes such as an increase in employer National Insurance contributions, which it described as a "tax on jobs".

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