A survey of 200 employers by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) showed that nine out of 10 expected their workforces to remain static or grow in the next year.

The research was published ahead of eagerly-awaited new unemployment figures which will show how quickly the economy is recovering from the recession.

Roger Tweedy, the REC's director of research, said: "Businesses remain cautious in the face of political and economic uncertainty ahead of the general election.

"The longer-term outlook for UK jobs continues to be positive with the vast majority of employers not expecting to make further job cuts and nearly 20% expecting to increase staffing levels over the coming year."

One in four employers said they were planning to take on extra agency workers in the next year.