JOB vacancies are rising, according to a survey by an online recruitment agency.

The Reed Job Index compiled by reed.co.uk showed a 7% rise in new job opportunities this month compared with April last year – although the timing of the Easter holidays led to a 6% fall in April compared with the previous month.

Martin Warnes, managing director of reed.co.uk, said the announcement last week that the UK economy had returned to recession in the first quarter of 2012 was a blow to confidence and contradicted the general trend for growth we’ve seen throughout the last 12 months.

He said: “The creation of new jobs in growth areas, such as energy, engineering and automotive is helping give the recovery the momentum it needs.”