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Recrutiment & Employment Confederation
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Jobs Recovery Tracker: Number of new job adverts ramps up after final COVID restrictions lifted

Press releases

  • In the first week of August, there were 1.65 million active job adverts in the UK

  • There were around 204,000 new job adverts posted in the same week, the fourth highest weekly figure since the start of the pandemic

  • The last three weeks have seen the highest numbers of new job postings since mid-May, but labour shortages continue to affect many sectors

  • Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators were in increasing demand last week, as well as insurance underwriters and farm workers

  • Four out of the UK’s top ten hiring hotspots were in north-west England in the first week of August

  • Four of the bottom ten local areas for growth in job adverts were in Scotland

In the week of 2-8 August, there were a total of 1.65 million active job adverts in the UK, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)’s latest Jobs Recovery Tracker. This is the second highest weekly figure since December 2020.

The past three weeks, after the lifting of the final COVID restrictions, have seen near-record numbers of new job adverts being posted online. The last week of July saw 213,000 new postings, the highest weekly figure since mid-May. This was followed by 204,000 last week, the fourth highest weekly figure since the start of the pandemic. 

Kate Shoesmith, Deputy CEO of the REC, said:

“Since the final COVID restrictions were lifted in July, the number of new job adverts has continued to ramp up. Employers are desperate to find good staff to help them recover and grow in the coming months. Recruiters are working flat out to help find the best people but there are shortages of workers in almost every sector across the country. This is starting to translate into higher pay and better benefits for some workers in particular sectors, which is great for people looking for a job. But employers also need more support from government, including an effective, long-term plan on skills. We mustn’t overlook the thousands of workers who need a chance to skill up and improve their earnings but this alone won’t meet demand. We also need an immigration system that has the flexibility to meet employers’ needs.”

There was a significant increase in adverts for photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators last week (+19.3%), as well as for insurance underwriters (+15.5%). The number of adverts for farm workers rose notably (+9.2%) as the harvest season continues, and there was also increased demand for plasterers (+8.2%) and painters and decorators (+4.7%). 

On the other hand, playworkers (-20.6%) and other teaching and educational professionals (-14.7%) saw the biggest declines in active job adverts as summer holidays continue and the sector experiences a cooling off period.

Four out of the UK’s top ten areas for growth were in the North West in the first week of August, with the highest growth in Blackpool (+5.2%). This was followed by West Dunbartonshire (+5.2%), the Wirral (+4.9%), and Norwich and East Norfolk (+4.8%).

However, not all areas saw an uplift in job adverts last week. Four out of the bottom ten local areas for growth in active job postings were in Scotland – the Shetland Islands (-9.1%), Na h-Eileanan Siar (-8.4%), Dumfries and Galloway (-6.8%), and East Lothian and Midlothian (-6.4%).

Ends

Notes to editors:

  1. The Jobs Recovery Tracker is produced by the REC in partnership with Emsi, using their Job Postings Analytics data which is harvested from tens of thousands of job boards. Data was harvested between 5 July and 18 July 2021. For more details, see the attached annexes which, in league table format, detail the top and bottom ten county/unitary authorities for growth in job postings and growth by occupation type.
  2. ‘Active’ job postings are those which were live online during the specified time period. ‘New’ job postings are those which were added to the active stock during the specified time period.

For more information and interview enquiries, contact the REC Press Office on 020 7009 2157, 020 7009 2129 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. Outside of regular office hours, please call 07702 568 829.

Click here to view all REC press releases.

About the REC

The REC is the voice of the recruitment industry, speaking up for great recruiters. We drive standards and empower recruitment businesses to build better futures for great candidates and themselves. We are champions of an industry which is fundamental to the strength of the UK economy.
Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at www.rec.uk.com.

About Emsi

Emsi’s goal is to help local, regional and national economies function more effectively through helping people make better decisions relating to the world of work. To achieve this, we employ a team of expert economists, data scientists, and software programmers to build a dataset that is highly granular, extremely robust, and easy to use. Emsi was founded in Idaho in 2000 and now serves clients in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Find out more at www.economicmodelling.co.uk.

ANNEXES

Top ten and bottom ten county/unitary authorities for growth in job postings:

County/unitary authority

Unique active job postings, 2-8 August

Change in active job postings, 26 July-1 August to 2-8 August

Blackpool

2,824

5.2%

West Dunbartonshire

2,203

5.2%

Wirral

2,669

4.9%

Norwich and East Norfolk

8,522

4.8%

Barnet

5,514

3.8%

North Hampshire

10,511

3.8%

Luton

4,767

3.7%

Greater Manchester North West

9,026

3.4%

Ealing

5,192

3.1%

Sefton

3,071

2.8%

-

 

 

Haringey and Islington

7,582

-5.4%

Redbridge and Waltham Forest

10,495

-5.5%

Causeway Coast and Glens

764

-5.9%

Swindon

6,636

-6.0%

Stoke-on-Trent

5,044

-6.3%

East Lothian and Midlothian

2,865

-6.4%

Dumfries and Galloway

2,747

-6.8%

Tyneside

16,324

-7.1%

Na h-Eileanan Siar

350

-8.4%

Shetland Islands

308

-9.1%

 

Top ten and bottom ten occupations by growth in job postings:

Occupation

Unique active job postings, 2-8 August

Change in active job postings, 26 July-1 August to 2-8 August

Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators

1,506

19.3%

Insurance underwriters

1,667

15.5%

Farm workers

489

9.2%

Plasterers

1,002

8.2%

Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers

375

7.8%

Painters and decorators

3,675

4.7%

Postal workers, mail sorters, messengers and couriers

1,464

4.3%

Electrical and electronics technicians

835

3.7%

Chartered architectural technologists

394

3.7%

Credit controllers

3,327

3.5%

-

 

 

Butchers

321

-6.4%

Refuse and salvage occupations

1,677

-6.5%

Sewing machinists

485

-6.6%

Hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors

922

-7.8%

Market research interviewers

1,160

-8.8%

Bakers and flour confectioners

418

-9.3%

Health associate professionals n.e.c.

1,005

-9.9%

Elementary security occupations n.e.c.

315

-10.3%

Teaching and other educational professionals n.e.c.

10,401

-14.7%

Playworkers

487

-20.6%

 

Key indicator occupations

Occupation

Unique active job postings, 2-8 August

Change in active job postings, 26 July-1 August to 2-8 August

Chartered and certified accountants

4,094

2.4%

Metal working production and maintenance fitters

20,556

1.5%

Carpenters and joiners

6,714

1.2%

Cleaners and domestics

23,475

0.6%

Bar staff

5,445

0.5%

Nurses

78,995

0.0%

Mechanical engineers

703

-0.8%

Large goods vehicle drivers

7,836

-1.1%

Marketing associate professionals

25,598

-1.1%

Sales and retail assistants

22,448

-1.3%

Primary and nursery education teaching professionals

32,969

-1.6%

Care workers and home carers

49,181

-1.7%

Programmers and software development professionals

70,349

-2.2%

Waiters and waitresses

2,955

-2.7%

Hairdressers and barbers

1,061

-3.1%

Fitness instructors

3,984

-3.3%

Chefs

30,380

-4.7%