In the FT today, they write that the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (the UK association of recruitment and companies) surveyed 400 firms who overall, reported higher vacancies but is this just more activity or more people hired.

Government stats for unemployment for the three months ending Nov 09 showed the first overall fall in unemployment rates for 18 months.

Despite some green shoots, the fact is that the employment market remains volatile. Different sectors are subject to different market forces and the worst is yet to come. Public sector spending cuts will see large scale job losses – so expect the rain to start falling in the summer after the election.

David Cameron meet Goliath – a giant of a problem faces you, if you win. And Gordon, if you loose your you can blame it all on inherited problems from Tony.

Either way, the jobs market will remain unpredictable through at least the next 12 months and competition remain fierce - job seekers need to get smart about how to look for a job.

I keep noticing emails from job seekers, who may have included contact info on their first email or in their CV but fail to add this on subsequent emails. Understand not all records get entered onto a database nor are database records always available to tap into. It’s not unusual for people to look in their email inbox to find the contact number on an email for someone, especially when in a hurry. When in a hurry, this can mean the difference between you being called up as a prospective candidate or passed by.

So be sure to create a signature file in your email settings, so that your name and contact info are always presented – it could make more difference than you might expect.

Ken who’s recently assumed a role told me, he’d analysed his job search stats. Last year 12 interviews (one job which lasted 6 weeks not his ideal, it didnt work out), this year he’s had 6 interviews inside 4 weeks and has landed a dream job – the jobs market in the tech sector is picking up, hoorah! Whilst generally the hiring climate remains depressed every month we are getting closer to a pick up likely to come Q 4 this year.

A lot of people have put up and shut up in the uncomfortable times of the last 2 years, I increasingly keep hearing of conversations from people saying they plan on moving jobs this year and most see a gradual pick up c. mid year. They’ve hung on in jobs or companies they don’t want to be in, because they’ve known there have been few options out there and that a move could be high risk – last in first out (LIFO as the accountants say). Mid year – the recruiters will be busy.