The recession is global and will not leave the South-East untouched, a recruiter has predicted.

Kate McCarthy managing director at Manchester retail recruiter McCarthy Recruitment, told Recruiter that the recession will touch all parts of the country due to its global nature.

McCarthy’s comments follows work and pensions secretary James Purnell’s comments that unemployment will be different from that of the 1980s, when job losses were concentrated outside the South-East and largely felt by unskilled workers. Purnell told the Guardian he thought unemployment would be spread evenly across Britain and would affect the middle class.

McCarthy said: “What is happening with the economy is global. I cannot imagine that is going to be regional and it will affect all of the UK.

It will affect lots of different companies. We have a lot of international companies in the UK I do not think it will sector or industry specific.”