Recruitment is more affected than any other London small business sector, according to the latest Business Confidence Index by Business Link in London.

However, recruiters are also the most positive, with 80% saying they are optimistic about their overall business success and almost three-quarters (71%) saying they expect to grow in the next 12 months.

Key recruitment findings are:

• 86% of recruitment SMEs have been affected by the recession in the first quarter of 2010, a rise of 8% since the last survey in October
• almost a third (31%) of recruitment small businesses have had to lay off staff, 14% higher than the London average