Labour Market Tracker: Late summer hiring in tourism and hospitality keeps job ad numbers solid - REC

• The number of overall active postings in August 2024 was 1,719,614 – a decrease of 2.4% on the number of postings in July 2024 suggesting the market is still weakening, but only marginally.
• There were 719,721 new job postings in August 2024 – a 3.2% decline from the month before.
• Most UK regions experienced small declines in the number of active job postings as compared to the previous month. But job postings increased in Scotland (9.9%) and Northern Ireland (8.0%) where the summer break ended mid-month. It is likely that the holiday effect slowed the market in England and Wales during the month.
• Overall, in the tourism industry when comparing August (end of summer) to May (beginning of summer) job postings increased by 6.3%. The hospitality industry also experienced a late summer increase in job postings. Adverts in August increased by 5% when compared to May 2024.

There were 719,721 new job postings in August 2024, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker. This is a 3.2% decline from the month before.

There was a sluggish start to hiring in summer seasonal roles this year compared to 2023, but hiring has picked up later this summer. Overall, in the tourism industry when comparing August (end of summer) to May (beginning of summer) job postings increased by 6.3%. The hospitality industry also experienced a late summer increase in job postings, up 5% in August when compared to May 2024.

The tourism roles with the largest increase in job postings in August compared to May were Leisure and Sports Managers and Proprietors (15.5%), Travel Agents (11.5%) and Leisure and Theme Park Attendants (13.9%). Hospitality roles with the largest increase in job postings in August compared to May 2024 were Restaurant and Catering Establishment Managers and Proprietors (8.4%), Chefs (10.2%) and Catering and Bar Managers (12.9%).

REC’s findings reflect separate recent findings by advisory and accountancy firm BDO of a late summer tourism boost for the services sector in 2024.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

 "There is no doubt that the jobs market remains slow by comparison to previous years, with summer holidays also affecting the pace of hiring. But there is little evidence of a sharp slowdown now. Firms are waiting for a clear signal on growth plans and the timing of potential additional cost challenges from the new government before making investment decisions, which makes the Budget next month a vital moment. Anecdote from REC members suggests that clarity on the timing and scope of both the Industrial Strategy and the Plan to Make Work Pay will also help to underpin decision-making and confidence.

“Consumer-facing sectors are particularly concerned about rumours of unwelcome additional challenges such as a rise in Employers’ National Insurance contributions. With sectors like hospitality and tourism struggling to adapt to a 20% rise in the Minimum Wage over the past two years, a slower start to the summer on hiring in these sectors was no surprise. It is great news that that has picked up – but small businesses in these sectors need support, not headwinds on employment costs at this time.”

Today’s Labour Market Tracker shows that for the second month in a row Train and Tram Drivers had among the highest increase in job postings (23.8%) compared to July 2024. Other occupations that experienced increased job postings in August were Probation Officers (27.1%), Prison Service Officers (13.7%), and Fitness and Wellbeing Instructors (12.9%).

Primary Education Teaching Professionals (-18.4%), Educational Support Assistants (-19.1%) and Secondary Education Teaching Professionals (-22.0%) all showed the largest decline in roles from July to August 2024.

Fermanagh and Omagh (38.7%), Moray (26.4%) and the Scottish Borders (17.4%) had among the highest growth in job postings when compared to last month.

Sheffield (-9.0%), Tower Hamlets (-10.1%) and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (-12.4%) all accounted for the sharpest decline in job postings.

Industries

Healthcare:

Dispensing opticians (4.7%) had the highest growth in job postings in the health and care sector. Whereas Midwifery Nurses (-24.0%), Other Psychologists (-22.8%) and Registered Community Nurses (-22.5%) had the sharpest decline in job postings.

Logistics and Drivers:

Within the Logistics and Drivers sector, all roles saw a decline, overall, the industry saw a 16.3% decline in the number of job postings from July to August. Road Transport Drivers n.e.c. (-4.9%), Large Goods Vehicle Drivers (-9.1%) and Warehouse Operatives (11.8%) had the lowest decrease in the number of job postings.

The steepest decline in job postings was for Directors in Logistics, Warehousing and Transport (-27.5%), Delivery Operatives (29.4%) and Air Transport Operatives (29.9%).

Ends

Notes to editors:

1.     The Labour Market Tracker is produced by the REC in partnership with Lightcast, using their Job Postings Analytics data which is harvested from tens of thousands of job boards. Data was harvested in August 2024. 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.

3.     REC and Lightcast switched to analysing monthly data on a permanent basis in January 2024. They had trialled weekly and monthly data in parallel for the final months of 2023, and therefore confident that the data will offer the opportunity for clearer analysis.

The LMT (Labour Market Tracker) has also moved from analysing Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2010 to the revised SOC 2020. The main areas of change from the previous classification are:

a.     A review of the classification of roles as professional or associate professional
This means that occupations such as Paramedics, Multimedia Designers, Investment Analysts, and Taxation Experts, which were part of the “Associate Professional or Technical” classification in SOC 2010, have been reclassified as “Professional” occupations in SOC 2020.

b.     The reclassification of occupations associated with information technologies
This means that the growth in IT roles over the last decade or so has now been recognised by the creation of new unit groups such as Cyber Security, Quality and Testing, Networks, Web Design, Database Administrators, and IT Trainers.

c.     Disaggregation into less heterogenous unit groups
This includes the creation of a separate role for Logistics Management; distinguishing General Medical Practitioners from Specialist Medical Practitioners; a breakdown of nursing roles; and more detail on storage and warehouse roles.

d.     Overall, the new SOC 2020 classification system is more granular, with 43 more occupations at the 4-digit level than the 2010 version. This means that the REC can provide better and more up-to-date information, based on both the 43 the new classifications and the reviewed classifications.

4. The 'Nursery Education Teaching Professionals" (SOC 2315) will likely be getting a lower number of job postings as it is a new addition with SOC2020, previously it was Primary and Nursery Education Teaching Professionals, so it is separated out into Primary and Nursery.

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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 Lightcast

Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) provides trusted global labour market data, analytics, and expert guidance that empowers communities, corporations, and learning providers to make informed decisions and navigate the increasingly complex world of work. With a database of more than one billion job postings and career profiles, our team provides best-in-class customer service with robust data, clear analysis, and expert guidance on skills, jobs, and opportunities.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and Moscow, Idaho, Lightcast is active in more than 30 countries and has offices in the United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, and India. The company is backed by global private equity leader KKR. For more, visit www.lightcast.io/uk.

ANNEXES

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

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

Key indicator occupations