Hiring intentions are staying steady across the south east, according to the latest gauge of employer confidence.

According to the findings of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, against the backdrop of Brexit uncertainty, lower-than-expected economic growth and falling consumer confidence, employers in the region are sticking to the status quo when it comes to hiring.

Based on responses from more than 2,100 UK employers, it asks whether they intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming financial quarter.

And for the south east the outlook was +4% - in line with the national average.

However, that equals the most downbeat hiring prospects since 2012 - dragged down, says the survey, by a fall in confidence in the finance and business sector which fell to a nine-year low of -1%.

The survey is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK government.

Chris Gray, director of Manpower UK said: “Once again the south east’s hiring intentions are holding steady. What has changed this quarter is that the jobs market has become incredibly candidate driven at all levels. This means that there are many more entry-level opportunities and even here we are seeing more movement as some employers are increasing their salaries to attract talent.

“We are also seeing an increase in candidates being more choosy about the organisations they want to work for – placing a greater priority on career opportunities or the values of the business rather than simply the financial reward.

“The growth in online shopping and home delivery has seen a significant increase in demand for those with driving skills across the region. The skills and experience shortage when it comes to driving roles has also led us to invest in driver training programmes to meet the forthcoming summer and peak demand in logistics.”

James Hick, managing director for ManpowerGroup Enterprise added: “This is the first quarter since 2009 – when Britain was in the depths of the financial crisis – that we’ve seen business and financial services employers record a negative outlook.

"As the UK is a global centre for financial and professional services, if the sector’s shrinking, it’s not good news for UK plc. While financial services only employ 3.5% of workers, it generates about 11% of government tax receipts. Technological innovations mean banks are now more automated, and we’ve already seen branch closures announced by the likes of RBS and Lloyds, which will cause significant job losses.”

In a gloomy quarter, manufacturing is a particular bright spot.

Its outlook has increased to +7%, and the sector has typically out-performed the national outlook over the last year.