Specialist in-house recruitment recruiter Aspen Partners has reported a surge in recruitment activity in October.

The Aspen Index of vacancies for in-house opportunities in the UK rose by 11 points to 58 in October, the second biggest increase since the index began in early 2008.  The rise was fueled by a significant increases in activity across financial services as well as some seasonal hiring within graduate recruiting teams across sectors.

Aspen’s managing director Andrew Mountney says: “This is the sixth consecutive rise month-on-month this year but the first time the shackles have come off showing a clear lift in confidence and commitment across industries to hiring in-house recruiters.

“The market is still recovering from a low base from early 2009 (the index hit a low of 36 in May) but these figures show that businesses across the country are preparing for increased recruitment activity across functions in 2010.”

As a proportion of HR jobs, the percentage of recruiting roles rose to 12.8%, the highest level for 12 months.