Reports from AllTheTopBananas.com have revealed that things might be looking up for jobseekers. After analysing job vacancy data on the site over the last two years, AllTheTopBananas.com have been able to measure the impact of the recession on the amount of available jobs. Their findings have proven to be extremely positive for the coming months as October heralded the second largest number of jobs on the site since January 2009.

Of the data collected, the job count has increased considerably since July 2009, increasing by 41%, which is significantly more than in the same period last year. The job count has also increased by 25% from September to October, which suggests that we may at last be witnessing an upturn in the number of jobs becoming available- great news as the Christmas period rolls in.

According to the site, the rise in the number of vacancies can be seen throughout many industries including IT, Catering, Sales and Retail. This is great news for retail, as the credit crunch has proved a difficult time for those in the industry. Retail giant John Lewis has also been reporting positive signs for retail, as they reported a fifth weekly sales increase for the end of October. But with VAT set to rise again in January, will this put a spanner in the works of recovery efforts?

Whilst we are not officially out of recession, many signs in the economy are pointing positively in that direction. The US reported that the period from July- September 2009 was the first period in over a year that the country had experienced economic growth, which is good news for recovery. Here in the UK, The Halifax reported a 1.2% rise in house prices in October, their fourth monthly increase, and even success stories in retail are beginning to infiltrate the news of late.

It may still be a little early to get out the party poppers and streamers, as AllTheTopBananas reported that the overall job count has fallen by a whopping 48% since 2008, but we're all hoping that this is the beginning of the end for the horrible R word.

So what do you think:

Will the VAT increase put people off the high street?

Are you seeing signs of the recession easing?

Feel free to leave your comments below.