IT contractors will have more job opportunities this year, as the IT industry is one of the few bright spots in "jobless recovery", according to a leading recruitment group.

According to the latest study of the job market, conducted by Manpower, only a small proportion of UK businesses planned to hire staff over the next few months, despite the economy emerging from recession.

"The recession hit many organisations hard and with quite sudden force so it's no surprise to see the return to recruiting being slow and cautious," a spokesperson for Jobsite said.

Yet while most businesses are being careful, the IT and design sectors should see growth and employment as companies look to plan for the future, the spokesperson added.

Data released in February by the Office for National Statistics indicated that there are 1.04 million people who are self-employed or working part-time because they were unable to find a full-time position.