The latest figures from the Office for National statistics provide little encouragement for IT contractors, as the number of people in the UK without work continues to rise.

Unemployment numbers in the country reached 2.47 million over the three months to April, which represents 21.5 per cent of working age people and is the highest number since records began.

If there is a chink of light for IT contractors looking for work, it is that the rate at which this number is rising has fallen.

Reacting to the figures, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's chief executive Kevin Green said that there was hope in jobs market, as businesses do seem to recovering form the recession.

"We do not believe that we will get near the three million mark that some have predicted, especially as we are seeing signs of increasing confidence and demand for staff in the private sector," he explained.

Mr Green did admit, however, that the impact of public sector cuts had not yet been felt.