IT contractors have been warned that growth in the employment sector has slowed.

According to the latest Report on Jobs by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), the number of people taking jobs continued to increase in August.

However, the rate of this increase has continued the monthly fall that has been in action since March, with growth for August achieving the weakest rate in ten months.

The REC chief executive Kevin Green said that he was concerned for the future of the UK jobs market, as employer confidence in the private sector remains fragile.

However, he went on to point out that there are certain employment areas with job shortages, such as internet developers, which may interest IT contractors.

"A priority for government is to ramp up the support and guidance for jobseekers and to raise awareness of these growth areas within our labour market," Mr Green said.

The group's director of research Roger Tweedy said earlier this week that government cuts may result in more temporary staffing requirements in the public sector, not less.