Both permanent and temporary job vacancies showed a rise last month.
According to the latest Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the demand for permanent staff rose in October for the first in 17 months.
Opportunities for temporary workers also increased, building on the slight rise registered in September.
Appointments, too, climbed last month, the REC report said.
The growth in both permanent and temporary appointments during October were the fastest for two years and 16 months respectively.
Kevin Green, the REC’s chief executive, said: “These figures show that the UK jobs market is on the road to recovery, with signs of improvement for the third month in a row. The demand for permanent recruitment is returning as employers start to hire people at an accelerating rate.’
Mr Green forecasted that the labour market may not suffer quite the drastic consequences of the downturn as had been previously feared.
He added: “Based on the latest findings, we anticipate that unemployment will not reach three million in 2010 as some predicted. This again highlights the benefits of the UK’s flexible labour market and a balanced attitude towards employment legislation in terms of keeping people in work.”