Labour Market Tracker: Number of job postings steady in July - REC

• The number of overall active postings in July 2024 was 1,766,963 – up by 2.4% on the number of postings in June 2024 and still above pre-pandemic levels.
• There were 748,211 new job postings in July 2024 – a 3.2% decline from the month before, though the seasonal effect of summer holidays is likely to have played a role in this.
• Most UK regions saw an uptick in the number of active job postings as compared to the previous month.
• Of the top ten local areas with the highest increase in the number of job postings as compared to June 2024, four were in London.

There were 748,211 new job postings in the UK last month, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker. This is a 3.2% decline from the month before, though the overall number of active postings remained steady at around 1.7m.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

"Vacancies remain high by historical standards, despite the steady cooling of hiring in the past year. This resilience reflects shortages in skill and labour in some sectors, and a growing optimism from firms about the end of the year, with economic growth up, the start of interest rate cuts and inflation considerably lower than a year ago.

“It is reassuring to see the areas in the top ten for vacancy growth in July spread across the UK and the increase in some roles in construction, finance and retail are encouraging given their status as bellwethers for the economy.

“Both the high number and wide spread of vacancies in today’s report is particularly beneficial for recent graduates and school leavers because they will aim to begin their careers this summer, as well as prove helpful for those re-entering the job market after a break.

“The government is right to make economic growth its focus. Only growth can turn employers’ sentiment to hire and invest, into action. That means creating the right conditions for a wide range of ways of working – matching the needs of both workers and the economy.  The government’s plans to ‘Make Work Pay’ mustn’t inadvertently jeopardise access to temporary work by spooking employers.  Uncertainty about what new employment rules might mean - or concern about their impact – needs to be answered by designing the rules with business."

For the second month in a row, Childminders are the occupation with the highest increase in job postings, doubling in number (106.5%) from June to July 2024. It is still a substantial increase despite the pace of increase slower than last month’s (443.8%)

Other occupations with a high increase in job postings were Train and Tram Drivers (45.6%) and

Dental Practitioners (35.4%).

Primary Education Teaching Professionals (-8.8%) delivery Operatives (-9.5%) and Pharmacy and Optical Dispensing Assistants (-10.5%), all showed the largest decline in roles from June 2024 to July 2024.

Enfield (18.9%), Redbridge and Waltham Forest (13.6%) and Camden and City of London (10.8%) had among the highest growth in job postings when compared to last month. Of the top ten places with the highest growth, four were based in the capital. REC’s separate Report on Jobs published recently also found that London had seen a rise in permanent placements and a separate REC analysis discovered a surge in permanent hiring intentions among London employers could be a bell-wether for the rest of the country.

According to anecdotal evidence from REC members the growth in business activity and the completion of the General Election had played a role in unlocking some hiring decisions.

Argyll and Bute (-12.5%), Scottish Borders (-12.8%) and Moray (-16.6%) all accounted for the sharpest decline in job postings. Scotland as a region saw a 3.2% decline in the number of job postings as compared to the previous month.

Recent Home Office data found that visa applications for carers and nurses have decreased significantly since November last year. Today, there are 50,120 active postings for care workers and home carers in the UK, which is 0.2% up on June 2024.

And the UK is signalling moves to curb overseas hiring for tech and engineering jobs. Our data shows, overall, by combining IT and Engineering sectors in July, we see a dip of 13.5% in the number of job postings when compared to pre-pandemic (February 2020). There are signs of growth however, with July 2024 showing a 2.1% increase in the number of job postings as compared to June 2024.

Industries

Healthcare:

Dental Practitioners (35.8%), Undertakers, Mortuary and Crematorium Assistants (12.7%) and Other Psychologists (9.0%) had the highest growth in job postings in the health and care sector. Whereas Clinical Psychologists (-3.3%), Dispensing Opticians (-8.7%) and Pharmacy and Optical Dispensing Assistants (-10.5%) had the sharpest decline in job postings.

Logistics and Drivers:

Within the Logistics and Drivers sector, Train and Tram Drivers (45.6%), Mobile Machine Drivers and Operatives n.e.c. (16.6%) and Bus and Coach Drivers (14.3%) had the highest uptick in the number of job postings.

The steepest decline in job postings was for Air Transport Operatives (-1.2%), Taxi and Cab Drivers and Chauffeurs (-2.3%) and Crane Drivers (-3.6%).

Construction:

Rail Construction and Maintenance Operatives (12.5%), Painters and Decorators (12.1%) and Building and Civil Engineering Technicians (9.5%) had the sharpest growth in job postings

Largest decreases in the Construction sector were in the following job roles: Chartered Surveyors (-1.4%), Construction Project Managers and Related Professionals (-1.9%) and Interior Designers (-4.8%).

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 July 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.

5. 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