Graduate recruitment freezes will be lifted at a huge number of UK companies this year, according to new research released today (May 24th).

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) commissioned a study which found that only six per cent of firms will impose a complete freeze this year, down from 38 per cent in late summer 2009.

In addition, the report claimed that only one in 20 businesses are operating a no recruitment strategy at present, compared to a figure of two-thirds 12 months ago.

Albert Ellis, chief executive of recruitment firm Harvey Nash, which compiled the data, claimed that the UK economy as a whole appears to have finally "turned a corner".
"We are seeing the first indications in the market that businesses are gearing up for a return to growth and this trend is most concentrated in the technology, financial services sectors and some areas of manufacturing," he said.
The CBI has about 200,000 members, including roughly 80 per cent of FTSE 100 companies and 50 per cent of FTSE 350 companies.