The commercial and industrial sector is the main recruitment-to-recruitment earner, according to McCall's sector breakdown, which shows the fees generated in each sector of recruitment.

The commercial/industrial sector earned 27.4% of fees in the six months to December 2006, compared with 20% the previous quarter.

IT was another high earner, making up 18.4% of fees generated, compared to 16% in the previous quarter.

McCall's joint managing director, Nick Bancroft, told Recruiter: "It is no great surprise really that technical is on the top performers list — with us being awarded the Olympic Games this has a big impact upon the UK. In addition, there is a commitment to improve the infrastructure of UK of both the rail and road network."

For the other markets, they are impacted greatly by the City — as long as the investment banks continue to recruit then IT, Finance and secretarial recruitment will all continue to do well, he added.

Bancroft says there are no sectors which are quiet currently. "In the short and medium term, I can see no changes to the current market situation — everyone in recruitment seems to be talking positively; perhaps it is just that everyone in recruitment is the eternal optimist! As long as interest rates stay relatively low and the retail market holds up, then recruitment is not likely to suffer," Bancroft adds.

Quieter sectors were HR, with 1.9% of fees in the period, compared with 2.5% in the previous six months, and sales, which accounted for 1.5% of fees generated.

The AlljobsUK.com Online Recruitment Index rose in February to stand at a record 2,069. The Index has risen 12.4%, or 229 points, since December. This is more than 600 points higher than at the same time in 2005, and 1,069 points higher than when the Index was started in August 2000.

AlljobsUK.com director Stephen O'Donnell told Recruiter: "Throughout 2005 the Index remained beneath the 1,500 mark for almost the entire year, and volumes of advertised jobs fell throughout the year. In marked contrast, 2006 saw a dramatic 30% rise over the 12 months."

It is usual to see the sharpest dip in advertised job volumes at the turn of each year. However, added O'Donnell, "this year, the Index has experienced its mildest Christmas [for the past six years]. This has resulted in the phenomenal breakthrough of the 2,000-point threshold in January. With such an enthusiastic take-up so early in the year, we are predicting that 2007 will surpass the 25% growth achieved in 2006."

The AlljobsUK.com Online Recruitment Index uses the published volumes of active job adverts from the leading UK jobsites to generate a composite figure.