The Report on Jobs is unique in providing the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour 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 April are:
Faster rise in permanent placements contrasts with fall in temp billings
The number of people placed in permanent jobs increased for a seventh successive month in April, with the rate of growth accelerating since March. However, temp billings declined for the first time in nine months.
Solid growth of job vacancies
Demand for staff continued to rise at a solid pace in April. Permanent staff vacancy growth inched up since March, but temp vacancies increased at the weakest pace in nine months.
Weaker pay growth
Availability of permanent staff static
Permanent staff availability was broadly unchanged in April, ending a four-month period of decline. Temp availability rose, but only modestly and at the slowest rate in 2013 so far.
Commenting on the latest survey results, Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG, said:
“Negative news on the jobs front has been so commonplace in recent months that it has almost become a cliché. The latest figures, however, hint at a positive turn with permanent placements accelerating, the rate of demand for permanent staff remaining solid and average starting salaries continuing to rise. Yet these positive signs should not be taken as a signal that we are reaching the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The data suggests that optimism is lower when temporary roles are considered and there are also still too many inconsistencies across the UK to hint at recovery. The reality is that there are likely to be storm clouds ahead before the employment rainbow will really be allowed to shine.”