UK employers plan to keep hiring despite Brexit and slow growth

Manufacturers are most optimistic about recruiting but public sector looking to cut jobs, ManpowerGroup poll finds

Employers in Britain are planning to take on new workers over coming months despite looming Brexit negotiations and slower economic growth, according to a survey.

A poll of 2,109 employers by recruitment agency ManpowerGroup found that a net balance of 5% were planning to increase staff levels rather than cut them over the July-to-September quarter. That was unchanged from the previous poll three months ago but down slightly from a +7% reading at the end of 2016 when the UK economy was still growing strongly.

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