The number of active job adverts in the UK continued to grow rapidly throughout November as businesses rush to hire staff ahead of Christmas. According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)’s latest Jobs Recovery Tracker findings:
- 210,000 new job adverts were posted in the UK last week, after three of the best weeks for new adverts on record – over 270,000 new adverts were posted in the first week of November;
- There were 3.51 million active job adverts last week, another new record high as firms take longer to hire;
- Biggest growth in adverts was for prison officers and scaffolders, as well as dentists and vets;
- Notable decline in adverts for management roles in the hospitality sector, including publicans, restaurant and catering managers, and hotel and accommodation managers;
- Five out of the UK’s top ten hiring hotspots were in Scotland last week, led by East Dunbartonshire;
- Local areas with the biggest falls in job adverts were Redbridge & Waltham Forest, the Scottish Highlands and Hertfordshire.
Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said:
“The growth in job adverts shows no signs of slowing as we reach the Christmas peak. We’ll have to wait and see how this week’s news on the Omicron variant affects the market, with hospitality the sector most likely to bear the brunt of any slowdown in consumer confidence. The downturn in hospitality management roles in this data is more likely to reflect the completion of hiring for Christmas, however.
“More broadly, this is very much a candidate’s market now. Firms need to think about how they will attract staff facing greater competition than ever before. Professional recruiters are a vital tool for businesses at times like these, helping them to find the best staff by reviewing their workforce plans and reaching out to new pools of candidates. Government can help by working with business organisations on skills, immigration and unemployment policies that boost labour supply, helping businesses grow and the UK to prosper.”
