There is light at the end of the tunnel for jobseekers this Christmas with recruiters reporting advertisement figures slowly creeping back up.

Whether it is people looking for a permanent new direction next year or students trying to tide themselves over until January, a range of contract types and industries are increasingly on offer.

On local jobs platform jobs24 around 1,200 jobs are currently on offer - the majority of which are full time contracts.

The sector which appears to be the most active is the mechanical and engineering industry with just over 140 jobs available, followed closely by the construction and science professions.

At Reed senior regional manager for the East of England, Melanie Marjoram, said listings were increasing "incrementally" but steadily - and the vast majority were in some way reactive to the pandemic.

"We are seeing increases month on month, and our clients are conducting interviews right up until Christmas Eve. I think it does indicate that confidence is slowly creeping back up and hopefully that bodes well for next year.

"I would estimate between 60pc and 70pc of our jobs are in some way reactive to the pandemic and increased demand for their sector. For example we're seeing an increase in jobs for delivery drivers, in call handlers for the NHS and in screening roles for the public sector.

"And although there are full time roles there are also jobs which students and people looking for a shorter-term solution. We have some jobs in manufacturing and of course cleaning and hygiene as there are a lot of sites which are increasing their cleaning regimes."

Rebecca Headden, co-director of R-13 Recruitment, echoed this saying: "We've been steadily busy and we are now seeing clients putting together a plan for what they're going to need next year. An area of particular growth for us is e-commerce which I don't think is a surprise given how we've seen shopping habits change this year."

She added that for people looking to enter a new market with their skills it was important to keep up-to-date with the industry: "If you want to get a job in a new sector I think it's important to show you'll go the extra mile. There are plenty of online courses you could take to brush up on some new skills and you could even do some volunteering to test out that sector."

And Ms Majoram added that landing roles in a competitive market was dependent on candidates having clear, concise CVs, as well as being realistic and flexible.

"Everyone is having to be more flexibly at the moment and I think candidates need to reflect that in their availability and their requests. If a job is advertised at £25,000 don't go in asking for £35,000 - you have to think realistically for this situation."