Less than one in five (17%) HR professionals think the Labour party is best placed to resolve the recession issue, compared with 38% who think the Conservatives are a better option.

According to international staffing agency Randstad, unemployment is getting worse, with steel company Corus reporting 3,500 job losses this morning, but 55% of HR decision-makers claim to be experiencing skills shortages. Almost half (46%) of employers plan to make cutbacks in the near future, with 22% planning to cut their employee numbers by 10%.

Junior members of staff are expected to bear the brunt of the layoffs with 25% of employers intending to cut the number of staff with two to five years' experience. But a third of organisations expect their skills shortages to get worse over the next two years.

Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: "The report underlines the important fact that - even in the current climate and with an increasing number of jobseekers - accessing the right skills remains a challenge for employers.

Three quarters of employers said salary reduction would be the least popular cost-cutting option and only 8% plan to reduce the working week for some employees.

Fred van der Tang, managing director at Randstad UK Professional Services, said: "In such immensely difficult times, it is encouraging many HR heads say their boards want to ensure they do not make inappropriate cuts. Cutting back too heavily was a mistake made by many employers during previous downturns, leaving them poorly prepared for the upturn."