The temporary agency work sector in the European Union (EU) expanded strongly over the last quarter, new figures show.

In its latest version of the European Vacancy Monitor Bulletin, the European Commission revealed that labor demand increased over the three months to May 2011.

The report has been welcomed by the European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Eurociett), which stated that key findings included the role of temporary agencies in showing the direction of developments in the labor market and wider economy.

According to the July data for the EU, strong job opportunities were identified for healthcare workers in Portugal, Slovenia, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland, while roles in IT were found in Luxembourg and France and in engineering in the UK, Austria and France.

Those seeking industrial positions may be interested in the claim that "recovery in the private sector favored mainly industrial workers, technicians, plant and machine operators, craft and related trade workers", with a 50 per cent climb in manufacturing vacancies recorded.

Posted by Alex Donnell