The UK's IT and computing industry has led a revival of the services sector fuelling fresh hopes of graduate jobs.
Activity in the sector rallied during March, driven mainly by business services firms in fields such as IT and computing, to return to growth for the first time in nearly two years.
The announcement is "hugely encouraging" for workers, particularly graduates who are the lifeblood of the sector which accounts for nearly three quarters of national output.
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) said the sector had reached a "tipping point" that will hopefully herald the arrival of new jobs in areas such as IT and computing.
CIPS chief executive David Noble said: "Whilst the employment increase was only marginal, we do seem to have reached a tipping point which hopefully means we will see continued job creation throughout the year."
Nearly 400,000 jobs were cut from firms operating in the UK's powerhouse services sector in an 18-month period between June 2008 and December 2009 as the recession tightened its grip on firms across the UK.
