IT'S a good time to be a lawyer or accountant in Worcestershire.

Because a survey by a specialist recruitment firm has shown they are the two professions most in demand in the West Midlands.

Venn Group is specialist contract recruiter for organisations in the public and private sectors and its latest Recruitment Index reveals a growing demand for qualified personnel with a 13 per cent month-on-month rise in job availability compared to February 2015.

Avtar Singh, director of Venn Group, said: "The West Midlands has seen an increase in employment activity across the board, but there are two areas that are booming. Firstly, we have seen high demand for accountants across a wide variety of sectors, particularly the construction industry. This means the field is brimming with opportunities for contractors, and that rates are rising as organisations compete for the top talent.

"Secondly, we have seen a boom in demand for legal professionals, particularly solicitors, over the last few months. Interestingly, many of the vacancies arising are within the public sector. Due to a change in practice by local authorities, their in-house legal teams can now undertake external work operating as quasi-legal firms. This means that legal professionals are being snapped up everywhere to help take on the increased caseloads, and, in some cases, to manage the councils’ new ventures with private businesses and other clients. This sector, amongst others in the region, looks set to experience much growth in the coming months.”

The average pay rate for those securing jobs in March 2015 was seven per cent higher than those recorded in February 2015, with contractors now receiving an average of £277 per hour across the region.