U.K. businesses were brimming with confidence and wanting to take on workers in late August, with few signs of anxiety about the potential impact of supply-chain disruptions. That is according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, whose latest survey published yesterday showed optimism edging higher and demand for permanent staff now running ahead of that for temporary workers — a sign of confidence in the longer-term outlook. It is unclear, however, whether firms remained so upbeat during September as energy companies were hit by spiraling wholesale costs and a shortage of delivery drivers led to panic buying of auto fuel. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned this week that post-pandemic bottlenecks could cause the economy to lose further momentum. (SD-Agencies) | 