The tightening of selection procedures during the recruitment process is a good thing, according to the Chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and the Institute of Recruitment Professionals.

Angela Masters said reports of new trends in the jobs market - such as the use of trained psychologists at the interviews stage - show how employers are recognising the importance of choosing the right candidates at the first time of asking.

She added that this also highlights how vital recruiters’ roles are in the whole process - they must put forward the right candidates in the first place.

Such a thorough system should see the cream rise to the top when it comes to placing people in jobs.

“Recruitment professionals play a key role in digging beneath a candidate’s CV to find out what there are really about and are also equipped to look beyond easy pre-conceptions to identify those who can actually do the job rather than those who simply perform well at interview,” the REC representative explained.

Ms Masters described recruiters as “talent detectors”.

The REC’s most recent JobsOutlook survey indicated that the majority of employers expect to maintain current staff levels in the next three months, although one in ten businesses are anticipating an increase in their workforce during that time.