The total number of persons in employment is projected to grow by about 2%, as employers expect to hire almost 32,000 persons, of which 13,500 will be for newly created jobs and the rest to replace retiring workers.

The strongest employment growth is expected in the category miscellaneous business activities, which includes industries such as private security, tour operators and temping agencies, where employment is expected to increase by 6.5%. In construction the headcount is expected to grow by 5.6%.

In industries that already have sizeable workforces growth is projected to be more subdued but still robust, including in retail (3.2%), hospitality industry (2.9%) and transport (2.2%).

The only two industries where job loss is forecast are real estate agencies (-1.4%) and mining (-1.7%).

The most sought-after individual professions will be lorry driver, operator of heavy machinery, welder, shop assistant, construction worker, cook, soldier and waiter, jobs which employers are already struggling to fill now.

Indeed, almost half the companies in the survey - over 3,000 employers with more than ten employees were included - already report labour shortages. The hospitality sector, healthcare and agriculture are particularly hard hit.

Beyond employment growth, employers are also upbeat about demand for their products and services over the next six months, as a quarter think economic activity will accelerate, almost 60% expect an unchanged environment and only a tenth expect a deterioration.