The recruitment market is showing resilience in the face of a predominantly remote working landscape. The latest Keep Britain Working Job Index Report shows that January saw the most number of jobs posted in a month since February last year. This is in line with the expected Spring recovery.
Across the UK, London made back some ground on the other regions, with job vacancies growing by 41% month on month, above the UK average increase of 33%. This is encouraging news for the capital that has been very hard hit by the move to remote working, as businesses suffer from of a lack of workers making their way into the centre every day. The West Midlands saw the biggest increase overall, 50% month on month.
Looking into the sectors, the overall signs are promising with all but two sectors posting more jobs in January than December. Transport & Logistics is back to more typical levels of recruitment, following the surge in online shopping that led to the delivery chain being stretched to breaking point during the festive period. This same surge in online shopping has had a clear impact on the Retail sector, which is at 56% of the levels seen this month last year and a 57% drop on December. The usually busy January sales have been almost passed over this year. Online activity could also be behind the demand in Customer Service roles, which stand at almost three times the levels seen last January, pre-pandemic.
Despite this apparent recovery, focus still needs to be given to ensuring all people can secure their livelihoods. We believe that opening up opportunities through training and development is key.
If you are after a more comprehensive look at the job market, then you can download the monthly Keep Britain Working job index report using the link below.
