Nearly 60 percent of employers in China’s mainland intend to hire in the first half of this year, the highest in more than three years, human resources consultant Hudson said in a survey yesterday.

The survey found 59.5 percent of employers across the mainland said they intend to raise headcount in the first six months, up 12.1 percentage points from the second half in 2014. The reading was the highest since late 2011.

The survey covered 1,780 senior managers from multinational and private companies.

More than 70 percent of respondents in the professional services, including consultancy, legal services, education and training, said they will step up recruitment this year, nearly doubling from the survey results for the last half.

Banking and financial services as well as information technology and consumer goods are hot sectors looking for technology and management professionals, and over 60 percent of employers indicated they will recruit more staff in the first half.

“We are seeing consistent appetite for quality candidates across a number of sectors, with growing demand particularly for those in the professional services,” said Lily Bi, joint general manager of Hudson Shanghai.