FCR (F1rst Commercial Recruitment) have just received September’s report on the UK’s labour market and thought it was an interesting read for both employers and candidates currently in the job market.
Here’s are what we consider to be the salient points:
Permanent placements and temp billings continue to rise
- Although the number of permanent placements continued to increase during the month of September, it did so at the slowest rate recorded since April
- Placements in London declined for the first time in eleven months with the financial sector struggling to recruit for a number of roles including audit, payroll and risk
- At the end of the third quarter, growth in temporary/contract billings continued to rise sharply
- Growth of permanent placements was most prominent in the Midlands and South of England, whereas the quickest rate of growth for temporary placements was in Scotland
Availability of candidates continues to decline sharply
- The number of candidates available for permanent placements has fallen the quickest in 4 months, with the steepest drop in candidate availability remaining in the South of England
- The main permanent staff skills that are in short supply are as follows:
Accounting/Financial: Audit, Accounts, Finance, Paraplanners, Payroll, Risk, Treasury
Blue Collar: CNC Machinists, Drivers, Forklift Drivers, HGV Drivers, Production Managers, Welders
Construction: Quantity Surveyors
Engineering: Automotive, Design Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers,Technical, Test Engineers
Executive/ Professional: Account Managers, Advertising, Compliance, Marketing, Project Managers, PR, Management, Solicitors
IT/ Computing: Automation Testers, Cyber Security, C#, Digital, Gaming, IT, Java, UI/UX Designers
Nursing/Medical/Care: Care Workers, Healthcare Assistants, Home Carers, Support Workers
Secretarial/Clerical: Administration
Other: B2B Sales, Buyers, Chemists, Customer Service, Education, Languages, Merchandisers, Sales, Telesales, Security
- The main temporary staff skills that are in short supply are as follows:
Accounting/Financial: Audit, Accounts, Credit Control, Finance, Payroll, Risk, Treasury
Blue Collar: Assembly Workers, Carpenters, CNC Machinists, Drivers, Food Processing, Electricians, Painters, Production Workers, Unskilled Production, Warehouse Workers, Welders
Construction: Quantity Surveyors
Engineering: Engineers
Executive/Professional: Compliance, HR, Marketing, Project Managers
Hotel/Catering: Catering, Chefs
IT/Computing: Cyber Security, IT, Security Cleared Staff
Nursing/Medical/Care: Care Workers, Healthcare Assistants, Home Carers, Support Workers
Secretarial/Clerical: Account Clerks, Receptionists
Other: Customer Service, Languages, Logistics, Sales
Demand for staff
- The UK Report on Jobs states that the increase in demand for staff was “considerably stronger” in the private sector than in the public sector
- During September the demand for permanent staff in the Accounting/Financial sector was the highest, followed by those in the IT & Computing sector
- Low –skill roles which rely heavily on EU nationals are becoming increasingly more difficult to fill
Pay pressure continues
- Starting salaries for permanent positions rose again in September taking the current sequence of inflation to 65 months
- The rate of pay for temporary placements also increased in September but the increase was not as dramatic as that of last month
September’s figures confirm that the market is still very much candidate driven. As the pool of available candidates continues to shrink, employers looking to hire could find it difficult to fill vacancies unless they are willing to offer a competitive starting salary. For candidates, now could be the ideal time to move jobs, especially for those that possess a skill deemed to be in short supply. For employers; look after those key staff and keep lines of communication open so that staff feel valued and listened to and don’t ‘want’ to move.
