JOB prospects in the Yorkshire region look rosy for the next quarter.

That is the forecast of the Manpower Quarterly Survey of Employment Prospects.

The latest survey shows that one in ten employers in the region will be taking on staff between April and June. That represents a quarter-on-quarter increase of three points, although over the year, recruitment has dipped by five points.

It also places Yorkshire sixth in the country - well above London and the South East.

The Manpower survey asks 2,000 UK companies across 11 regions and 21 industry sectors, if they expect an increase, decrease or no change in staffing levels for the quarter ahead.

A "net balance" of job gains is calculated by subtracting the employers planning job cuts from the number of bosses planning to take on staff.

Janice Henson, Yorkshire and Humberside regional manager for Manpower, said the prospects looked healthy for the region in spite of the uncertain economic climate.

Updated: 09:01 Tuesday, April 01, 2003