Bosses in the East of England are the most positive in the country when it comes to hiring and firing in the first quarter of next year, a survey has found.

Recruitment specialist Manpower surveyed 2,100 UK employers and found in this region a greater proportion planned to recruit rather than shed staff, giving an overall rating of +11pc, an increase of 6pc from the current quarter.

However, it comes as the Lloyds TSB Regional Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stated that jobs had been cut across five of England's nine regions in the last month – including a contraction in business output in the East of England.

Speaking about the outlook for employment in the east, Jason Greaves, Manpower's operations director, said: 'The east of England leads the pack in positive sentiment and we're seeing this from a number of employers in a range of sectors.

'From finance and banking to sales and business development, employers are looking to hire, which is good news for job seekers.

'But, in line with previous quarters, employers have again highlighted that skills shortage remains a persistent challenge, particularly when recruiting for roles in the insurance sector, plus there is demand for digital marketing skills,' he added.

'Job seekers with the right skill sets are therefore in demand, and candidates are always advised that up-skilling can mean the difference between getting and not getting a job.'

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey reveals a positive picture across parts of the UK for the first quarter of 2013. The north west has risen to +6pc, with the north east also reporting a positive forecast of +4pc.

Meanwhile, both the East and West Midlands have reported healthy outlooks of +8pc, while London and the south east remain positive with +5pc and +7pc respectively.

But Scotland is the only part of the UK which records a negative score at -1pc, with Northern Ireland flat lining at 0pc.

Meanhwile, the PMI report revealed that the North West had experienced the steepest month-on-month fall in employment, followed by London. But four regions showed a rise in employment – with the strongest jobs growth seen in Yorkshire and Humberside.