UK Labour Market Insights | December 2022

Trends across the UK

In November, unique job postings across the country increased by +4.1% compared to the previous month.
Across England, Scotland and Wales, one sector in particular saw a significant increase – Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care related roles increased by +15.4% compared to October.
Employers face a number of challenges in the current labour market. These include delivering cost-of-living support, upskilling existing employees and hiring staff. 46% of recruiting employers have hard-to-fill vacancies.
As mentioned in our previous report, it’s important for employers to simplify recruitment and improve access to workplace training and support in order to attract the most qualified candidates.

London

Unique job postings in London increased by +4.9% compared to the previous month.
Following the same pattern across the country, Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care roles saw a large increase in the capital during November (+18.6%). Notably, within this sector, Richmond upon Thames saw unique job postings increase by +80% compared to October.
Another sector which saw growth across the capital was Education & Training. Unique job postings increased by +16% compared to the previous month.

Scotland: Tayside and Lanarkshire

two gray people and one orange person standing

Unlike England and Wales, Scotland saw a decrease of unique job postings compared to the previous month. Postings fell by –3.1% compared to October.
Across Scotland, the sector that saw the largest decrease in unique job postings was Tourism, Leisure & Arts, where listings decreased by -8.9% compared to October.
However, some regions and sectors in Scotland saw growth during November. South Lanarkshire saw a +6% increase in unique job postings compared to the previous month. This was driven by Construction & Labouring, where roles increased by +20.4% compared to October.

North West England: Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside

During November, unique job postings in the North West increased by +5.9% compared to the previous month. 13,300 extra jobs were posted, which took the region well above its average in the last 12 months.
Cumbria was the borough which saw the largest increase (+14.4%) compared to October. The sector which saw the most growth was Catering & Hospitality, with a +23.9% increase compared to the previous month.
Across the North West, we saw the same nationwide trend occur. Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care related roles saw a sharp increase (+30.6%) compared to October.

West Midlands

Unique job postings in the West Midlands increased by +4.8% compared to the previous month. This was mainly driven by the Health and Social Care sector, which increased by +11.7% compared to October.
A clear example of this growth was in Birmingham, which accounts for 45% of job postings in the West Midlands. Within the city, Health & Social Care related roles increased by +12.2% compared to the previous month.
Another sector in the West Midlands which saw a large increase in unique job postings was Education & Training – job postings increased by +13% compared to the previous month.

Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire

Unique job postings in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire increased by +0.8% compared to the previous month. These regions saw minimum growth compared to the rest of England.
However, these regions still followed the national trend of Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care related roles having the biggest increase in job postings (+13.4%) compared to October.
Rushcliffe, in Nottinghamshire, saw a significant increase of unique job postings (+44.8%) compared to the previous month.
However, not every county saw growth in November. Unique job postings in South Yorkshire decreased by –3.4% compared to the previous month. This was mainly driven by the IT sector, where unique job posts decreased by –13.2% compared to October.

Wales

Unique job postings in Wales increased by +1.4% compared to the previous month.
There were over 76,000 active job postings across Wales during November, which was above the country’s average during the last 12 months.
Protective services related roles saw the largest increase (+14.5%) compared to October.
Cardiff, saw a decrease of unique job postings in November (-3%) compared to October. Previously, Cardiff had been showing signs of continued monthly growth in the labour market.

Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire

In the South of England, unique job postings increased by +7.2% compared to the previous month.
The sector which saw the sharpest increase across the regions was Protective Services. Job listings increased by +22.2% compared to October.
We also saw the national pattern occur in the South of England, too. Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care job postings increased by +11.5% compared to the previous month.
During November, IT was the sector with the lowest growth across the South. Unique job postings increased by +0.8% compared to October.

Recruiting the right staff to fill roles is a challenge that businesses across the country face. No matter the size of your organisation, we can help you find the staff you need.

Our cost-free recruitment services have helped more than 500 businesses nationwide, including Tesco and Wincanton.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.