A favourable business climate has placed recruiters in charge of their own destinies and careers, according to the latest industry research.

Experienced consultants have a wealth of opportunities available to them, with many choosing to work for entrepreneurial small businesses.

The annual industry salary survey from recruitment-to-recruitment firm Heywood Associates reveals how a recruitment boom has created a demand for talented consultants.

Financial guarantees and golden hellos are commonplace as recruitment agencies compete for the best fee earners.

Although salaries have not increased significantly compared with last year, recruitment firms boosted wages for junior consultants to attract the new entrants to the industry.

Starting wages have increased from around £18,000 to £21,000 for junior consultants.

“It’s a numbers game for many recruiters now. They are recruiting as many new staff as they can to maximise revenues,” said Heywood Associates managing director Simon Gee.

“This is a good time to be a recruiter. Junior consultants with experience in sales will find themselves fast-tracked into more senior roles.”

Job orders for recruitment consultants remained high throughout 2005 as the support services sector recovered from the recession earlier in the decade.

Talented managers found their services in demand, with some divisional and operational managers enjoying pay increases of 38%.

Many firms tweaked their commission structures to reward top billers, with some staff enjoying bonuses of up to 40%.

The recruitment-to-recruitment sector grew as a result of the demand for consultants, leading to fierce competition.

In London, there was growth across all sectors, with the trend predicted to continue into next year.

The rest of the UK’s most profitable sectors were accountancy and finance, legal, HR, and IT and telecoms.

Demand is high in these sectors, with about five job opportunities per experienced recruiter in the sector.

Executive search firms have also enjoyed the good times. Although pay has not increased substantially, firms were better off financially compared with previous years.

But figures from Bank of Scotland’s Labour Market Report contradict Heywood’s rosy assessment. The report claims the London labour market is growing at its slowest rate for 28 months.