The outlook for jobs remains bright in the Sussex area.

The latest quarterly employment survey from Manpower shows that Sussex along with the rest of the South takes top spot in the national league table for job prospects.

The survey indicates 28 per cent of employers within the region plan to take on more staff in the third quarter of 2000, with only six per cent anticipating a reduction.

Representing an improvement year-on-year, the figures are drawn from the Quarterly Survey of Employment Prospects, which Manpower has undertaken every quarter for more than 30 years.

Looking back at the past year as a whole, the South is now running level with the West, sharing top position, and showing a marked improvement in job prospects over the previous year.

Sue Child, regional manager for Manpower, said: "Business throughout the region is buoyant.

"Job prospects are looking particularly positive in sectors such as finance and insurance, which are establishing both call centres and process centres to handle the administration they have been shifting out of the branches.

"Similarly, new retail developments are creating jobs, many of which can be filled by those involved in the various training initiatives that are currently being run in order to get the unemployed back to work.

Forecasts for the South remain ahead of the national picture, which itself is looking increasingly bright.

Manpower's Quarterly Survey of Employment Prospect for Q3 2000 shows 29 per cent of employers nationwide are planning to recruit more staff in the coming quarter.

The jobs position overall is improving year-on-year for the third consecutive quarter.

Double-digit net increases are forecast for jobs in all 12 regions.

Retail tops the sector survey, with an unseasonal high that takes it to its best third-quarter forecast on record.

Finance receives a similar boost, rising from bottom place in quarter three in 1999 to sixth place this time.

A positive picture also emerges for the public sector, as building and health both rise from low positions in previous surveys to the top six for the coming quarter.

Aside from private health, which reports no change this time, employers within every sector plan to take on more staff in the coming quarter.