The Report on UK Jobs is unique in providing the most comprehensive guide to the UK jobs market, drawing on original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies and employers to provide the first indication each month of labour market trends.
The main findings for July are:
Acceleration in growth of staff appointments…
Recruitment consultancies placed greater numbers of people into permanent and temporary roles during July, with rates of expansion accelerating to five- and seven-month highs respectively.
…buoyed by strengthened demand from employers
Latest data signalled that available job vacancies continued to rise apace in July, with growth quickening to the fastest since January. The private sector remained the principal engine
of job creation, although the public sector recorded a solid increase in vacancies.
Record drop in availability of permanent candidates…
Permanent staff availability fell further in July, with the rate of decline accelerating to the sharpest in the survey history. Temporary/contract staff availability meanwhile decreased at the fastest pace since March 1998.
…fuels sharp increase in salaries
Average starting salaries for people placed in permanent jobs continued to rise strongly in July. The rate of increase was only fractionally below June’s survey-record high. Temporary/ contract staff pay growth was also marked, despite easing from the 79-month high recorded in June.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG, said:
“For the first time in months we are witnessing churn in the labour market. It seems that employees are finally beginning to wake up to the opportunities available to them, with the rates of growth of both permanent and temporary placements accelerating simultaneously for the first time since the winter.”
“Perhaps it’s true that ‘every person has their price’ because the movement in labour is coinciding with another rise in starting salaries. Just a few months ago employers couldn’t tempt staff to switch roles, but indications are that employees’ caution over change is being replaced with hunger for something new. It’s particularly prevalent in the Midlands; all the indications are that if you want a new job and want an improved salary offer, the central part of the UK is the place to be.”