By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 19:01 EST, 16 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:02 EST, 17 December 2013 . For the first time since the  economic downturn, the majority of employers now say they expect to take on extra staff within the next 12 months. The Confederation of British Industry said job prospects are ‘on the up’ amid clear signs that the recovery ‘has finally taken hold.’ The news follows the recent statement by the Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney, that ‘for the first time in a long time, you don’t have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full.’ Prospects: Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said recently that 'for the first time in a long time, you don¿t have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full.' Around 325 private-sector firms of all sizes were asked by the CBI whether they think their workforce will be larger, smaller or the same size at the end of 2014. The report, published today, found 51 per cent plan to hire more workers, a landmark moment for a workforce which has suffered redundancies and recruitment freezes for several years. During the darkest days of the recession, in 2009, this figure was as low as 22 per cent. The report says: ‘Private sector workforces are anticipated to grow across all regions, with Yorkshire and Humberside and the East Midlands the most buoyant.’ Katja Hall, chief policy director at the CBI, said: ‘We’re starting to see the recovery have an impact on business plans to hire, with more than half of firms boosting staff numbers next year and more opportunities for young people. ‘It is good to see jobs being created across most regions, not just London and the South East.’ Workers also have a good prospect of a pay rise. For many, it will be the first substantial one since the crisis began in 2008. The report found 42 per cent of workers ‘expect to match Retail Prices Index inflation’, which was 2.6 per cent in October, according to the Office for National Statistics. And the number of firms planning to keep pay frozen has dropped to a new low of 8 per cent, half last year’s figure of 16 per cent. In 2009, it was 55 per cent. Last week, the ONS said the average worker would now be earning £2,600 more were it not for a general pay freeze. The average full-time worker earns £27,000, but that would be £29,600 if pay had kept pace with inflation for the last five years. The report also said a third of businesses plan to increase graduate recruitment, a relief for young people desperately seeking a proper job since leaving university. Oliver Benzecry, managing director of Accenture, the consultancy which co-published the report, said: ‘Too many young people remain trapped in low-skilled, short-term jobs, or in a vicious cycle of “no experience, no job”.’
Report by the CBI found 51 per cent of firms plan to hire more workers .
During the recession, in 2009, this figure was as low as 22 per cent .
News follows recent optimism by Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney .
By . Becky Barrow . PUBLISHED: . 19:01 EST, 16 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:02 EST, 17 December 2013 . For the first time since the economic downturn, the majority of employers now say they expect to take on extra staff within the next 12 months. The Confederation of British Industry said job prospects are ‘on the up’ amid clear signs that the recovery ‘has finally taken hold.’ The news follows the recent statement by the Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney, that ‘for the first time in a long time, you don’t have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full.’ Prospects: Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said recently that 'for the first time in a long time, you don¿t have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full.' Around 325 private-sector firms of all sizes were asked by the CBI whether they think their workforce will be larger, smaller or the same size at the end of 2014. The report, published today, found 51 per cent plan to hire more workers, a landmark moment for a workforce which has suffered redundancies and recruitment freezes for several years. During the darkest days of the recession, in 2009, this figure was as low as 22 per cent. The report says: ‘Private sector workforces are anticipated to grow across all regions, with Yorkshire and Humberside and the East Midlands the most buoyant.’ Katja Hall, chief policy director at the CBI, said: ‘We’re starting to see the recovery have an impact on business plans to hire, with more than half of firms boosting staff numbers next year and more opportunities for young people. ‘It is good to see jobs being created across most regions, not just London and the South East.’ Workers also have a good prospect of a pay rise. For many, it will be the first substantial one since the crisis began in 2008. The report found 42 per cent of workers ‘expect to match Retail Prices Index inflation’, which was 2.6 per cent in October, according to the Office for National Statistics. And the number of firms planning to keep pay frozen has dropped to a new low of 8 per cent, half last year’s figure of 16 per cent. In 2009, it was 55 per cent. Last week, the ONS said the average worker would now be earning £2,600 more were it not for a general pay freeze. The average full-time worker earns £27,000, but that would be £29,600 if pay had kept pace with inflation for the last five years. The report also said a third of businesses plan to increase graduate recruitment, a relief for young people desperately seeking a proper job since leaving university. Oliver Benzecry, managing director of Accenture, the consultancy which co-published the report, said: ‘Too many young people remain trapped in low-skilled, short-term jobs, or in a vicious cycle of “no experience, no job”.’
the Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney, that 2014. The report, published today, found 51 per cent plan to hire more workers, a landmark moment the darkest days of the recession, in 2009, this figure was as low as 22 per cent. The report