LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Permanent job placements in Britain continued to grow in September and rose at their fastest pace in 18 months, a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and accountancy firm KPMG showed on Wednesday.
The index of permanent placements by recruitment agencies rose to 51.3 from 50.6 in August -- the highest in 18 months and the second month running it has been above the 50-level that separates expansion from contraction.
The index of temporary staff placements increased to 50.8 from 50.3, the highest since June 2008.
"This provides further evidence that the bottom of the economic cycle has been reached," said Bernard Brown, Head of Business Services at KPMG. In a further sign that the labour market is in better shape, salaries for both permanent and temporary staff fell at their slowest rate in around a year in September, and job vacancies for temporary staff rose for the first time in 15 months. (Reporting by Fiona Shaikh; Editing by Ron Askew)