Figures from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published with accountants KPMG showed both permanent and temporary staff appointments fell to their weakest level last month since the start of the survey in October 1997.

Rates of pay also declined at survey-record rates as a rising pool of job seekers diluted candidates' wage bargaining power.

"This latest survey leaves little doubt that the UK jobs market is now heading downhill at breakneck speed," said Mike Stevens, at partner at KPMG.

"The drop in permanent and temporary placements is far steeper and deeper than it has ever been in the survey's eleven year history."

The survey noted that the deteriorating economic climate and ongoing credit squeeze has resulted in many companies putting their recruitment programmes on hold.

Nursing and medical care was the only sector to escape a fall in demand for staff. All seven other sectors recorded a sharp decline, with manual labourers in the "Blue Collar" category seeing the biggest drop.