Consumer confidence edged up last month as Britons became slightly more optimistic about the outlook for the economy, research indicated last Friday.

Nationwide recorded a nine point jump in its expectations index, as nearly one in five people said they thought the economy would be in better shape in six months’ time.

But 38 per cent of those questioned said they thought the economic situation would still be bad, while 63 per cent worried that there would be few jobs available six months’ down the line.

People also continued to be pessimistic about the current economic situation, with 70 per cent saying they thought it was bad, although this was down from 75 per cent in February.

A further 68 per cent of consumers also said they did not think there were many jobs available at the moment.

The increase to the expectations index helped lift the group’s overall consumer confidence index by five points to stand at 44, up from a record low of 39 in February.

But despite the improvement, the figure was still the second lowest level since March 2009, and half the long-term average of 80.

Nationwide also cautioned that with the economic recovery appearing sluggish, confidence was unlikely to improve significantly during the coming months.