IT contractor employment offers rose by 320% from May to June, according to findings from pre-employment screening firm Powerchex.

The research also shows that investment bank recruitment saw a 45% increase.

Total industry employment offers rose 52% for the month compared to a year ago, but offers only rose 7% from May to June 2010 and declined 2% across Q2. But Q2 offers increased in all sectors of financial

services compared to the same quarter of last year.

“Fears of a double-dip recession are beginning to dissipate,” says Alexandra Kelly, managing director of Powerchex.

“Recruitment in the financial sector has generally flattened in the last quarter, but IT contractor hiring shows signs of another round of optimism in Investment banking this summer. The financial industry was preserving liquidity and waiting to see what changes would occur as a result of the general election and possibly tighter regulations in the new budget. But the surge in IT contactors shows the sector has released the build-up that had been waiting on the back burner until government news was certain. This trendechoes the new, national employment figures that show the recovery is getting back on track.”