BUSINESS NEWS UK – REC’s Jobs Recover Tracker shows decline in job postings due to the impact of Covid-19
Posted 3rd June 2020 • Written by staffingindustry.com • • • •
In April 2020 there were 1.34 million unique job postings in the UK, down 28% from approximately 1.86 million in February 2020, before lockdown measures were introduced, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s new Jobs Recovery Tracker.
The tracker uses job postings data to spot signs of labour market growth by county and occupation type. The job postings data used is processed by labour market analytics firm Emsi. It found that there were around 950,000 unique job adverts in the UK between 11-17 May 2020, with the largest surges in hiring seen in rural areas.
While employer demand in the UK overall has been shrinking in recent weeks, many local areas have seen a significant uptick. The number of job postings in Breckland & South Norfolk in the east of England grew by 8.7% week-on-week between 4-10 May and 11-17 May, the fastest of any local area in the UK, reflecting the needs of the rural economy.
At a broader regional level, all areas of the UK saw a continued decline in the number of job postings posted between 4-10 May and 11-17 May, with the exception of the North East, where postings increased by 0.8%. The largest weekly falls were seen in the South West (-2.4%) and North West (-2.2%).
Meanwhile, demand for certain occupations has also grown during this time. The number of job postings for health professionals (9.2%), pharmacists (3.9%), and nurses (2.7%) all increased. The demand for security guards (+3.8%) and, surprisingly, artists (+4.1%) also increased.
The number of job adverts for LGV (large good vehicles) drivers fell by 7.4%, as well as demand for architects (-6.5%) and construction project managers (-6.2%) as new building projects are delayed.
Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said, “Health and social care workers being in high demand isn’t a surprise, but as more workplaces start to re-open, we are likely to see similar trends emerging for other roles. The increase in job adverts for cleaners and security guards could be the first sign of this. It’s encouraging to see growth in many areas of north-east England, and hopefully other regions will start to follow in the coming weeks.”
“The economy will begin to bounce back from Covid-19 in the coming months, as businesses start to hire again. We hope this report will also support the collaborative work between government and business to redeploy workers into sectors where demand is returning.”
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