The UK and US jobs markets are heading in opposite directions, according to analysis from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The findings show that while US employment levels are set to gather pace, UK levels will continue to decrease for the first quarter of 2010.

The sharp fall in employment intentions in the UK public sector accounts for the difference, with net employment intentions falling to -33% (the difference between the percentage of employers expecting to employ more staff in the first three months of 2010 and the percentage expecting to employ fewer) in the public sector.

The CIPD’s quarterly Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey records a negative balance of -5% in overall employment intentions, representing a modest fall compared to the -3% of the previous quarter.

In comparison, the Society of Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) US LMO survey records a positive balance of +11%, compared to +6% in the previous quarter.