LONDON: Britain's jobs market lost momentum in April after recruiters turned more cautious ​about hiring as ⁠the Iran war heightened cost pressures, an industry survey ‌showed on Monday.

The monthly Report on Jobs from accountants KPMG ​and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, a trade body, showed permanent job placements ​fell at ​the fastest pace since January, before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began. Employers said in March that the ⁠jobs downturn had shown signs of abating.

"The small signs of recovery in the jobs market may have been disrupted in April by the uncertainty stemming from the conflict ​in Iran," ‌said Jon ⁠Holt, KPMG's ⁠group chief executive.

REC and KPMG also said:

* Permanent staff placements fell ​to 47.5 in April, down from 49.2 ‌in March

* Temporary staff hiring ⁠rose to 50.4 from 48.4 as firms opted for short-term staff due to uncertainty about the Iran war

* The availability of candidates for permanent roles rose slightly faster than that of those seeking temporary roles

* Vacancies fell for the 30th month in a row, but at the slowest pace in 11 months

* The survey ‌was based on responses from a panel of ⁠around 400 recruitment agencies between April 9 ​and April 24

A separate survey from accountants BDO showed firms were cautious about hiring, with an employment index, which ​reflects trends in ‌hiring intentions and demand, falling to its ⁠lowest level in 15 years. (Reporting ​by Suban Abdulla; editing by David Milliken)