LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) – Service sector firms see business picking up over the next three months but expect to keep cutting staff as the economy emerges from recession, aConfederation of British Industry

“The survey shows that business activity has stabilised across the service sector,” said Ian McCafferty, the CBI’s chief economic adviser.

The CBI had responses from 180 firms across two sectors: Business and Professional Services, such as accountancy, legal and marketing firms, and Consumer Services, including hotels, restaurants, travel and leisure.

In Business and Professional Services a net percentage balance of +34 firms said they were more optimistic than three months ago, up from zero in November and back to the level recorded in August.

In the Consumer Services sub-sector, sentiment was broadly stable with a balance of +14, just two points down from November’s reading.

“Overall, these figures are consistent with our view that the economy is recovering slowly, but that we will have to wait a while before growth picks up,” McCafferty said.

The quarterly survey was conducted between Jan. 27 and Feb. 10.