Candidate shortages in UK contribute to slower rise in staff appointments in June
Staff Writer |
Permanent staff placements and temporary billings in the UK both continued to rise sharply in June, despite rates of expansion easing to eight- and three-month lows respectively.
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Lower candidate availability was cited as a factor hampering growth in staff appointments.
Notably, both permanent and temporary worker availability declined at sharper rates at the end of the second quarter.
The IHS Markit/REC Report on Jobs provides the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour market, drawing on original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies.
Staff vacancies continued to rise sharply in June.
Growth of demand for permanent staff edged up to a seven-month high, while short-term vacancies rose at a slower yet still strong rate.
Salaries awarded to staff placed in permanent jobs increased further in June, with the rate of inflation holding close to a three-year high.
At the same time, temporary/contract rates of pay also rose sharply, with the rate of growth broadly similar to April’s twoyear peak.
The Midlands saw the steepest expansion in permanent placements of all four monitored English regions, while the weakest upturn was noted in London.
Growth of temp billings was strongest in the North of England, while the weakest increase was registered in the South of England.
Demand for staff rose across both the public and private sectors at the end of the second quarter, though growth of vacancies remained sharper across the latter.
The steepest increase in demand for staff was seen for private sector permanent workers.
The slowest, albeit still marked, rise was seen for public sector permanent staff.
June survey data indicated that permanent staff vacancies rose across all ten monitored job categories.
IT & Computing and Engineering led the overall upturn in demand for permanent workers.
The weakest increase in vacancies was seen for Retail.
Blue Collar topped the rankings for demand for short-term staff during June, followed by Nursing/Medical/Care.
The only sector to not register increased demand for temporary workers was retail, as vacancies stagnated. ■