It’s not only employers that are feeling more confident that employment prospects will improve in 2010. Candidates also predict that the UK jobs market will bounce back towards the end of the year, according to new research from CV guidance firm CV Trumpet.

Its survey of 1,226 jobseekers found that almost half anticipate that the employment market will have fully recovered by the end of 2010 - with only 5% believing it will take until 2013 or longer before the job market recovers from the knock-on effect of the recession.
While 72% of respondents agreed that finding new work last year was more difficult than in 2008, only 36% agreed or strongly agreed that it would be more difficult to find a job this year (2010) compared to last year (2009).

Robert Odhams, founder at CV Trumpet, says: “Our research has revealed a distinct level of optimism regarding the job market next year. There is a 36% increase in the number of people believing that finding work won’t become any more difficult this year compared with last. This ties in with the result that jobseekers predict that the job market will have recovered within two years.”

Employees who are prepared to be flexible could well benefit according to Keith Dugdale, director of global recruitment at the accountancy firm KPMG who says that "More forward-looking employers are looking at more flexible working patterns”. He adds that KPMG will be using much more creative ways of working, offering different types of contracts.

Another survey published towards the end of last year showed that 42% of respondents would be seeking pastures new in the new year, while 22% already felt more confident about their job prospects for 2010. Around two thirds of employees in banking and financial services (63%) and sales, marketing and media (61%) said they were looking to change jobs in 2010.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the job market is picking up and would you consider changing jobs during 2010?