Last month saw an upswing in new job advertising across the UK, showing good momentum in seasonal hiring.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s latest Labour Market Tracker found there were 1,763,701 vacancies in June, up 9.2% on May and 11.4% on the same period last year.
New job ads were up 30.8% against May and up 10.8% from a year ago. In total there were 893,510 new job openings.
New job ads came from firms in agriculture, retail and hospitality, often sectors that rely on seasonal workers.
Figures for July would indicate if this ‘bounce’ would persist when school and university breaks started, the REC said.
UK Regions See Strong Growth in Seasonal Hiring
The biggest rise was in the Isle of Anglesey, where hiring grew by 72.5%, followed by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (38.9%) and Cheshire East (31.7%).
The lowest job growth was in East Dunbartonshire (-11.1%), Na h-Eileanan Siar (-9.7%) and Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire (-1.3%).
Only six of the 181 areas studied saw a fall in active job advertisements in June, the REC said. Not one region saw a decline in terms of new and active listings.
Recruiters Report Positive Hiring Momentum
The statistics reflected excellent feedback from recruiters in recent weeks, said Lorraine Laryea, REC’s chief standards officer.
“There is a definite rise in firms acting on long-held hiring plans,” she said. We do need to be mindful of seasonal effects, including the two bank holidays in May and the start of the summer’s hiring in places such as Cornwall, but the underlying trend is apparent. Companies are starting to hire again and job vacancies are currently at pre-Gulf crisis levels.
“The real recovery is based on an economic plan that builds growing confidence, not action that punctures it again and derails companies’ plans, as a new prime minister steps into office this week.”
She called on the government to bring “pragmatism into the unworkable areas of the Employment Rights Act”, such as fixed hours.
“It is also vital that we address the tax barrier to employment that has been created by the changes to the National Insurance threshold, the decision that helped to set back the jobs market recovery in the first place,” she said.
Key Highlights
- UK job vacancies reached 1,763,701 in June.
- Vacancies increased 9.2% compared with May.
- Job openings were 11.4% higher than the same period last year.
- New job advertisements rose 30.8% month-on-month.
- A total of 893,510 new job openings were recorded.
- Agriculture, retail and hospitality led seasonal recruitment.
- Isle of Anglesey recorded the highest hiring growth at 72.5%.
- Only six out of 181 areas experienced a decline in active job advertisements.
Conclusion
The latest Labour Market Tracker from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation points to improving momentum in the UK’s seasonal jobs market. Rising vacancies and stronger recruitment activity across key seasonal industries suggest employers are moving ahead with hiring plans, while industry leaders continue to call for policy measures that support long-term employment growth.