IT contractors have been boosted by the news that there has been a sharp increase in the number of job vacancies available.

The Monster Employment Index has increased by six per cent in the last month, representing an annual increase in 21 per cent.

Improvements have been seen across the contracting disciplines, with vacancies in IT and telecommunications seeing a six per cent rise, making 29 per cent growth for the year.

Julian Acquari, managing director at Monster UK, said that although the UK still has a long way to go in terms of recovery, the trend is positive.

"The majority of UK regions and industries reported elevated online recruitment activity in October, extending a trend of long-term improvement in labour market conditions," he said.

Last week, however, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation claimed that the growth rate for temporary jobs in the UK, while still positive, has reached a 14-month low.