The number of IT contractors classed as long term jobless has fallen almost to a pre-recession level, according to new data.

Findings by Giant revealed that the long-term jobless rate among IT contractors dropped to 6.5 per cent, from last year's ten per cent.

This comes close to the five per cent of unemployed IT contractors before the collapse of Lehman Brothers than seemed to spark off the financial crisis.

Giant's Matthew Brown, said: "The big commercial banks are in a much better state than they were last year and many are beginning to kick-start projects that stalled during the recession. Investment banks are also back in rude health after their near-death experience". 

Meanwhile, the government has launched a website dedicated to finding out the problems contractors face due to being self employed.

The Department of Work and Pensions is asking the self employed to fill in a survey in order to get a better idea of the problems faced by the sector.