UK – Recruitment specialist Manpower claims that employment prospects for the food and beverage sector will improve before the end of June.

The quarterly survey of employment prospects report surveyed 2,000 UK companies and asked whether they planned to increase or reduce staff levels before the end of June. The number of companies looking to reduce staff was then subtracted from the number looking to recruit.

The balance in the food and beverage industry was 22% in favour of increasing staff numbers. This is 12% up on the same time last year and 22% up on the same report for the previous quarter.

According to the report, all UK regions are equally buoyant and all are more optimistic than at the same time last year.

The report added that it was companies with fewer that 50 employees who were the most positive about prospects. It also warned of a possible skills shortage in all manufacturing sectors.