The study of more than 4,000 people in England, carried out by ICM Research, gives an overall job confidence score of 51.8 out of 100, where 50 would indicate neutral job sentiment, where on average people are neither confident nor unconfident.

The report adds to several good news stories indicating the health of the UK jobs market, recruitment activity and the wider economy in recent weeks and months, from sources including the REC/KPMG Report on Jobs and the Office for National Statistics.

While confidence is relatively consistent across the country, it is highest in London and the South-East and lowest in the West Midlands – contrasting with findings from a recent REC/KPMG report showing the Midlands as a particularly strong hiring region.

Overall, 74% have become more confident or maintained the same level of confidence in their ability to keep their current role or find a new job over the next three months.

Three-fifths of employed people feel that it would take them fewer than six months to find a new job that they wanted if they were made redundant, with 38% feeling they would need no more than three months.

Survey respondents gave various reasons for their increasing confidence in the jobs market, ranging from economic recovery (42%), possessing the right work experience (42%), having the right skills and qualifications (40%) to feeling more prepared (22%) and seeing friends and family find new jobs (11%). 

The Job Confidence Index consists of seven individual pillars: general confidence, qualifications, job experience, competition, opportunities, personal confidence and momentum. The service plans to release the index quarterly.