A significant proportion of mothers find returning to permanent or temporary jobs after having children a struggle, new research has found.

Despite the support now on offer from both employers' own HR services and employment agencies, just one in three of those mums polled for the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) study said that their return to the working world had been easy.

In comparison, 39 per cent admitted that their re-entry into the jobs market was either difficult or very difficult.

At the same time, the study also found that a majority of working mothers are still finding that they are losing out career-wise when they take time off to have children, with around one in five returning to permanent or part-time jobs with lower salaries and fewer responsibilities.

Commenting, NCT chief executive Belinda Phipps noted that employers need to do more to help these women, for example by introducing more flexible working practices.

"It's time employers got a grip not just of their policies and paperwork but how to help managers support mums after what is often the most important and life-changing event of their lives," she said.

Earlier this month, the NCT welcomed proposals to improve existing maternity care plans, as laid out by the Conservatives.

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