IT contractors may continue to find employment opportunities limited as a new survey reveals that planned recruitment from employers in 2010 remains muted.

Of the 2,100 employees that were polled by Manpower, one of the world's largest recruitment companies, a net amount of just one per cent of firms plan to hire staff between April and June this year.

The UK had learnt lessons from the recession and as a result different trends were beginning to emerge, said Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower UK.

"For instance, employers are postponing hiring commitments until sustainable demand re-emerges, rather than engaging in anticipatory hiring," Mr Cahill said.

While admitting that unemployment may rise from the current level of 2.5 million, Manpower maintain that it will not reach three million, as some have predicted.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation reported last week that demand in the IT sector was "increasing", with employer confidence at its highest level for two-and-a-half years.