Forties People

People looking for office jobs in the service sector have been handed good news, as a new report suggests the economy may be out of recession.

According to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), businesses in the industry are becoming increasingly positive after seeing a surge in the number of new orders.

Indeed, CIPS chief executive David Noble said the service sector ended 2009 on a high.

This, he said, could bode well for the rest of the economy, which suggests recruitment activity in areas such as the West End of London could be set to increase.

"As the biggest contributor to the UK economy, services is undoubtedly heralding the way for wider economic growth in 2010," Mr Noble commented.

Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight, added that the figures reinforce the belief that the UK emerged from recession at the end of 2009.

The most recent economic figures show that the economy contracted by 0.2 per cent between July and September last year.