Recruitment plans for the next few months are at their weakest for 15 years, a survey of employers has revealed.
Employment company Manpower said its poll of 2,100 firms showed optimism for the first few months of the new year was down, although most managers were taking a "wait and see" approach and planned no changes to their payrolls for the first quarter of 2009.
The survey showed "weak" employment prospects in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, hotels, retail, finance and business services.
Employers in most regions said they intended to cut hiring levels compared with a year ago.
Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower, said: "The figures confirm the depressed employer confidence we're experiencing as a business across the UK. The mood is largely one of uncertainty. Eight out of 10 employers intend to see how their businesses perform in the first three months of 2009 before making any changes to staffing levels.
"We'd like to encourage employers where possible not to knee-jerk into making dramatic changes to HR strategy and staffing levels and consider innovative alternatives such as shorter working weeks and short-term shutdowns. Although clearly not an option for all businesses, the advantage of this approach is the greater competitiveness they are likely to have when we come out of this downturn.
"The loss of intellectual capital and highly skilled workers, particularly in smaller firms, should not be under-estimated."
Employers in the public sector and utilities were among those reporting positive hiring intentions for the New Year.
Employers in the North East were the most optimistic, while firms in the South East, West Midlands, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were the least optimistic.
London employers reported moderately weaker employment prospects compared with a year ago.
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