The number of resourcing roles have increased for the first time in a year, according to new findings from HR recruiter Aspen Partners International.

The Aspen Index, which monitors available roles for in-house recruiters in the UK as well as benchmarking this against the wider opportunities within HR in the UK, saw a peak of 171 in July 2008, compared to 39 in June 2009 and a low of 36 in May 2009.

Andy Mountney, director at Aspen International, says: “We’re delighted that we’ll be able to bring a regular barometer of the recruitment market to HR professionals through the new site, LinkedIn and Twitter.

“The figures show us that conditions are still extraordinarily tough for recruitment professionals seeking new opportunities and the fall of over 75% in the index in a year shows just how quickly the market collapsed while more recruiters found themselves seeking work.”