Brexit uncertainty hits hiring of permanent staff, figures suggest

Companies taking on temporary and contract employees at fastest pace in four months, survey of recruitment firms shows

Companies are holding off from hiring further permanent staff and taking on more temporary workers, according to figures that suggest uncertainty over the outcome of June's EU referendum is putting employers in wait-and-see mode.

The number of people placed in permanent jobs continued to increase during March but at the slowest pace for six months, according to a survey of recruitment companies. At the same time, the hiring of temporary and contract staff rose at the sharpest pace for four months, according to the poll by Markit and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).