Labour Market Tracker: Summer seasonal hiring down, but overall number of active jobs adverts in the labour market is robust - REC

• The number of overall active postings in May 2024 was 1,715,238 – down by 0.7% on the number of postings in April 2024 but still above pre-pandemic levels.
• There were 756,740 new job postings in May 2024 – a 1.1% decline from the month before.
• There is concern that the increase in the national minimum wage has contributed to a fall in the number of vacancies for summer seasonal work. Examples of the biggest falls in demand for summer seasonal occupations (April & May 2024 compared to April & May 2023) include restaurant and catering establishment managers and proprietors (-38.1%), hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors (-44.5%), chefs (-32.5%), leisure and theme park attendants (-34.1%), gardeners and landscape gardeners (-21.9%) and most roles in construction.
• All UK regions saw a steep fall in vacancies for key tourism and event roles in April & May 2024 compared to April & May 2023, except for flatter comparative falls in North East of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Consistent demand for workers has led the UK jobs market to settle at around 1.7 million job adverts, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker.

The total number of active postings has once again stayed at just above 1.7m where it has stayed for months, except for the expected usual dip around Christmas 2023.There were more than 1.7m active job postings in the UK, with 756,740 new job postings in May 2024. The number of active job postings declined by 0.7% compared to April.

There has however been a dramatic fall in demand for summer seasonal workers for many businesses, when compared to the same period in April & May 2023. The UK economy failing to grow in April 2024 according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), political uncertainty, and the increase in the national minimum wage, look to have all contributed to this.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

“The number of active job adverts remains above 1.7m which shows steady demand for workers despite slow progress in the wider economy. Employers are intent on hiring and investing in their own business, but are acting more cautiously because of economic and political uncertainty. We expect this to change as inflation stays low and interest rates drop over the summer.  

“Emerging reports from REC members suggest some market improvement from April on, but that a second big increase in the national minimum wage has affected hiring levels in key sectors. We can see some evidence of that drag in the lower summer seasonal hiring demand we report today. Reducing hours or roles while opening for shorter periods are all decisions which firms may feel forced to make in tough times. Support for their businesses to improve growth and productivity – through an industrial strategy that properly focuses on workforce – will be vital after the election.”

​​​​​​

Occupations with notable increases in adverts in May 2024 include Stonemasons and Related Trades (+21.6%), Building and Civil Engineering Technicians (+16.5%) and Forestry Workers (+16.3%). There was also growing demand for Printing Machine Assistants (+15.4%), Planning, Process and Production Technicians (+14.3%) and Road Transport Drivers n.e.c. (+12.8%).

Nannies and Au Pairs (-20.4%), Probation Officers (-21.0%) and for the second month in a row, Data Entry Administrators (-18.5%), all showed the largest decline in roles from April 2024 to May 2024. Probation Officers also showed a decline in the number of postings for the second month in a row.

Ards and North Down (+17.7%), Conwy and Denbighshire (+15.3%) and Bromley (+14.1%) had among the highest growth in job postings when compared to last month.

Mid and East Antrim (-10.1%), Orkney Islands (-12.8%) and Tower Hamlets (-12.8%) all accounted for the sharpest decline in job postings. Half of the bottom ten areas showing the largest decline in active postings were in London. The REC’s recent Report on Jobs publication chimes with this, showing that permanent vacancies further fell across the capital in May and demand for temporary workers also contracted.   

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 May 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.     Contact us for a more detailed statistical summary of summer seasonal roles by occupation and by region and nation of the UK. We compared average vacancies for seasonal summer roles from April & May 2023 to April & May 2024. These included roles in sectors such as hospitality, construction, agriculture and tourism.

4.     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.

Media enquiries

For more information and interview enquiries, contact the REC Press Office on 020 7009 2157 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 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