Employment rates in Croydon could be on the up with companies across London more confident about expanding their workforce in 2006 than they have done in the last five years.

The figures come from a survey carried out by Manpower, whose Croydon branch has recently re-located to bigger premises to cope with the increase in jobs available.

Manpower's report, based on a national survey of 2,100 companies, found that two-fifths of London's employers expect to increase their headcount between September and December 2006, while just 9 per cent expect to reduce it.

These are the highest figures of any UK region and the strongest result for the London area since 2001.

Natasha Kiamtia, Branch Manager for Manpower in Croydon, said: "This is a great result for the area. We are seeing strong demand for candidates, and much of this confidence is being driven by the commercial sector.

"The current regeneration project in Croydon is also going to have a huge impact on long-term recruitment needs as we anticipate that it will create hundreds of new jobs."