UK Labour Market Insights | May 2023

Trends across the UK

During April, unique job postings across the UK decreased by -2.3% compared to the previous month.
We saw an increase in Hospitality related roles, and Tourism, Leisure and Arts related roles in regions across the country, which is to be expected during this season.
Across Great Britain, Transport, Logistics and Supply Chain roles increased by +7.7% compared to March.
The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) explained that April’s employment figures were broadly positive. However, they still suggest that the most disadvantaged people in the labour market are struggling the most to get into work even as the economy continues to create jobs.
We’ve previously explained how our services can help people overcome barriers and re-enter the labour market.

London

Unique job postings in London fell by -1.9% during April compared to March.
We saw London follow the national trend with an increase of +5.8% in Hospitality roles compared to the previous month.
There was an also an increase in Tourism, Leisure and Arts related roles (+2.8%) compared to March.
Not all sectors in the capital saw vacancy growth during April. I.T. – the second biggest sector in London – saw a significant decrease of -8% compared to the previous month.

Scotland: Tayside and Lanarkshire

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Overall in Scotland, unique job postings saw a minimal decrease of -0.5% compared to March.
The country saw a significant increase (+13.4%) in Transport, Logistics and Supply chain related roles.
Taking a closer look at specific regions, Lanarkshire had a -3.6% decrease in job postings, while Tayside saw a +6.4% increase – both compared to the previous month.
Across these two regions, Hospitality roles and Tourism, Leisure and Arts roles increased compared to March. (+26% and +15.9% respectively) While this was not the case for all of Scotland, these two regions followed the trend we saw elsewhere in the UK.

West Midlands

During April, unique job postings in West Midlands decreased by -3.9% compared to March.
All sectors in West Midlands have seen a decrease in job postings apart from Transport, Logistics and Supply chain related roles. There was a +7.1% increase compared to the previous month Birmingham – which has the highest number of the jobs in West Midlands – had a +4.6% increase in Tourism, Leisure and Arts related roles.
Construction related roles in Birmingham increased by +1.3% compared to March. While the West Midlands, and the country as a whole, saw a decrease in this sector.

Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire

Unique job postings in East Midlands decreased by -1.9%, while in Yorkshire and the Humber region, postings decreased by -6% compared to March.
In Derbyshire, Transport, Logistics and Supply chain related roles had an increase of +17.3% compared to the previous month. While we’ve seen lots of regions increase in this sector, this was higher than most areas nationally.
Job postings in Nottingham continued to decline in April. The city has 25% fewer job postings than the same time last year.

Wales

During April, unique job postings in Wales decreased by -1.6% compared to March.
Cardiff – which contains over a quarter of the job postings in the country – saw a decrease of -7.8% compared to the previous month. This was primarily driven by I.T. related roles, which fell by -13.3% compared to March.
Unlike other parts of the UK, Tourism, Leisure and Arts, and Hospitality roles decreased compared to April (-6.7% and -0.7%).  
However, Wales followed the national trend with a significant increase in Transport, Logistics and Supply chains. Job listings increased by +7.2% compared to the previous month.

Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire

Unique job postings in South East England saw a minimal decrease of -0.4% compared to March. This was the lowest fall in unique job postings across the country.
Following trends we’ve seen across the regions, the biggest increase in job postings across the South East was in in Hospitality (+4.8%) and in Transport, Logistics and Supply chain (+10.7%) compared to March.
Across South East England, other sectors saw a decline in unique job postings. Notably, Cleaning and Facilities Management and Protective Services related roles each fell by –8.7% compared to the previous month.

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