The majority of job seekers are put off signing up with recruitment agencies because of the industry's bad reputation.

This is according to a report by recruitment consultancy Unity Personnel, which found 60% of individuals would refrain from using agencies, while 26% perceive them negatively.  Just 16% of the employers and employees surveyed had positive experiences to report.

Criticisms of the industry include providing an impersonal service and sending out CVs to employers without knowledge of the job specification.

"As an industry, we need to combat the negative impressions many people have and provide a superior service by working closely with both clients and candidates in order to determine their requirements," says Nick Tomkinson, commercial director at Unity Personnel.