The latest Report on Jobs, produced on behalf of the recruitment and Employment Confederation and Deloitte & Touche, has revealed that the growth of permanent jobs placements is slowing. The growth hit a three month low in July 2002, and the report suggested that this was due to employers becoming increasingly cautious in view of the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook. According to the report, the weaker growth of demand for staff, combined with a stronger increase in staff availability, had eased pressure on rates of pay.