Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are expecting to take on more staff, according to a survey by global staffing giant Manpower.

The Manpower Employment Outlook survey, which forecasts employer hiring intentions for the first quarter of this year, polled 2,500 UK employers and approximately 35,000 employers in 18 countries.

The survey discovered that the Net Employment Outlook average for the UK for the period January to March 2004 is +9%. SME employers forecast a net outlook of +17% and +18% respectively. The net outlook for larger businesses stands at +2%.

The Net Employment Outlook is calculated by subtracting those employers who plan to decrease staffing levels from those who plan to hire. A positive result illustrates that more employers expect to increase staffing levels.

Manpower director Hazel Detsiny said: “Whilst we’re seeing general employment confidence amongst UK employers, it’s employers amongst small and medium sized companies who are predicting the greatest growth and helping to drive overall employer confidence.

She added: “Small businesses play an important role in driving growth in the British economy and this, combined with our own experience at Manpower of providing more works to SMEs, is an encouraging sign.”