IT contractors will be pleased to hear that one recruitment group is predicting an imminent return to pre-credit crunch employment levels in the UK IT sector.

According to Greythorn, the first three quarters of 2010 saw a total of 21,400 jobs created in IT, with a particularly sharp rise in quarter three.

If this growth rate continues, the firm predicts that by Christmas the IT sector will employ around 1.5 million people - a figure not seen since 2008.

Greythorn's managing director Paul Winchester said that the IT sector is intrinsically linked to the wider health of the economy, which has been boosted by the International Monetary Fund's endorsement of government policy.

"The recovery has acted as a platform for sustained growth in the IT and telecoms sector as companies plough fresh investment into their IT function and start spending money on new staff and systems again," he said.

However, earlier this week the Recruitment & Employment Confederation claimed that the growth rate for temporary appointments has slowed to a 14-month low.