British firms are beginning to hire again as they emerge from the recession.

Individuals who have set up a recruitment agency could start finding it easier to place candidates within UK firms which are beginning to hire again, a new study has revealed.

Research by the Confederation for British Industry (CBI) has revealed that some of the more drastic measures introduced during the recession are being phased out by employers as the economy recovers.

While a recruitment freeze was in place in nearly two-thirds of companies a year ago, this dropped to 37 per cent six months ago and now stands at just five per cent, the figures showed.

According to CBI deputy director-general John Cridland, British companies "have come out the other side of the recession, having managed to keep many more people in jobs than had been expected".

"This has been largely down to the flexibility and goodwill of staff who quickly adapted to emergency measures, including pay and recruitment freezes," he explained.

It was revealed in the Queen's speech that barriers to flexible working will be removed by the government.