Confidence among employers in Australia has improved for the first time in over a year, a new report has found.

The Hudson Report: Employment Expectations survey, released earlier this week, indicated that a net 6.5 per cent of employers intend to boost permanent staff levels during the third quarter of the year.

During the previous quarter, this overall figure was far lower at just 0.8 per cent.

As such, this figure marks the first improvement in Australian employer confidence since March 2008.

The highest rise in confidence was recorded in Western Australia, from one per cent to 12 per cent.

Mark Steyn, chief executive of Hudson Australia and New Zealand, said that while the results are promising the ongoing effects of the economic downturn still need to be considered.

He commented: "The employment landscape remains mutable and we should view this result as a stabilization in employer confidence rather than assuming the start of a consistent upward trend."