The number of UK companies planning to recruit has increased, according to new figures.

A new Employment Outlook Survey from Manpower UK shows that there will be a rise in hiring in the last quarter of this year, giving job hunters looking for career development a glimmer of hope.

Richard Doherty, group vice president of solutions and marketing at human resource advisers Jobpartners, said: "This is definitely a sign that the job market is improving, however companies need to learn from their recruitment mistakes of the past."

He added that in order to attract and retain the best staff, companies needed to treat their employees and prospective employees with the same level of care as they treat their customers.

The Manpower survey shows a rise in projected hiring during October to December 2009 for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2006, which indicates that the UK may be starting to see the first positive signs since the economic downturn began.