More than one in three organisations plan to hire in excess of 100 employees this year, according to a global survey.

The KellyOGC Global RPO Report 2010 found that 37% of mainly HR managers said they intended to hire more than 100 permanent staff. This compares with 36% in the 2008 survey and 43% in 2007.

Firms plan to hire more permanent positions than temporary staff or graduates.

The report predicts that the health, banking & finance, retail and wholesale, IT&T (IT & telecoms) and government sectors will be the most active in hiring over the coming year. In each of these sectors, more than half the respondents plan to hire 50 or more permanent employees.

The weakest hiring plans are in manufacturing, education and utilities.

North American recruiters are the most optimistic with 49% saying they intend to hire more than 100 employees, compared with 31% in EMEA and 24% in Asia Pacific.

The report was based on responses from 536, mainly HR managers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It was produced in conjunction with the Human Resources Outsourcing Association.