Britons looking for second job

An increasing number of people are looking for a second job, according to feedback from the recruitment industry.

With the credit crunch starting to bite and rising costs as a result of inflationary pressure, more and more people are looking to boost their income by taking on more work.

James Hicks, a representative with Manpower, told BBC Radio 5's Wake Up To Money programme that there was a discernible trend.

'Everybody is feeling the rising cost of fuel, the credit squeeze and declining consumer confidence,' he explained.

Mr Hicks said the rising number of enquiries by people in lower paid jobs looking to supplement their income with weekend or evening work had been a particularly prominent trend.

Inflation has been an acute concern since the start of the year, with the consumer prices index (CPI) hitting 3% in April, while the government's official figures produced by National Statistics show that employment is creeping up.

According to the latest figures, the employment rate is 74.9%, up 0.5% from a year ago.