JOB prospects throughout the North-East are forecast to fall slightly in the quarter ahead, according to recruitment and outsourcing group Manpower.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (formerly the Manpower Quarterly Survey of Employment Prospects) asks 2,500 public and private employers in the UK to forecast hiring patterns for the quarter ahead.

The net employment outlook - the balance of employers forecasting to take on more staff - for the North-East is plus 16 per cent compared with plus 31 per cent for the same period last year.

"The survey results show that there is still uncertainty among the region's employers," said Jason Greaves, of Manpower North East.

Despite this, the employment outlook is above the average for the previous five years, which was 11 per cent.