The quarterly report from the research firm Hudson reported that 5 per cent more employers are planning to hire, rather than cut permanent staff in the next quarter. This has raised confidence amongst the Victorian employers for the first time in 18 months.

According to the head of Hudson Victoria, Scott Stacey, it is an improvement on last quarter as more employers were expecting loss of jobs but never the less the results are weak as compared to the rest of the country. Only New South Wales has performed worse than its earlier figures.

He said, "There's still a huge degree of caution in the market here. I think a lot of employers are waiting to see what happens globally over the next three to six months."