UK Labour Market Insights | September 2022

Trends across the UK

In August, unique job postings decreased by 15.8% across the country (England -16.3%, Scotland -10.7%, Wales -15.5%), compared to the previous month. The last time there was a drop of this scale, during this time period, was in 2012.
The steepest decrease in unique job postings was in the education and training sector (-24.7%), and the lowest was in warehousing (-7.9%) compared to July. This continues the trend from last month.
Evidence suggests the employers are finding it challenging to fill roles due to over 50s leaving the job market and people who have stopped working due to a long-term health condition not returning to work.

London

Almost a quarter of job postings in England come from London, and in August the capital saw unique job postings fall by 20.2% compared to last month.
Redbridge had the most significant decrease with a 22.7% drop compared to July. This was followed by Havering with -21.4% and Bromley with -21.0%. These boroughs were above the overall decline in Greater London.
The biggest decrease in August, across the capital, was in the education and training sector (-28.6%), and the lowest was in retail (-8.4%).
Despite the overall downward trend, some sectors saw an increase in unique job postings compared to July. Examples of this include Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain in Barking and Dagenham (8.3%), and Catering & Hospitality (11.5%) and IT (4.7%) in Bexley.

Scotland: Tayside and Lanarkshire

two gray people and one orange person standing

Scotland had the lowest decrease in unique job postings of all part of the UK during August (-10.7%) compared to last month.
In August, Lanarkshire had the lower decrease of 8.8%, whereas Tayside saw a decrease of 11.8%.
In both of these regions, the highest decrease in unique job postings during the month was in the IT sector at -25.1%.
However, not every industry saw a decline in August. Cleaning and facilities management sector saw a growth of 1.2%.

North West England: Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside

The North West saw a significant decrease of unique job postings at 15.6% compared to last month. This has been the fastest decrease for the past 12 months in this region.
In August, Cumbria had the steepest drop in postings in the North West, at –18.8%
Following the national trend of the month, the highest decline in postings was the education and training sector (-25.6%).
The lowest decrease was in warehousing (-5.4%) compared to July. However, Merseyside went against this trend, and the warehousing sector there saw a growth of 3.3%.
There was also a growth in listings in Cumbria during August. Job postings in the IT sector increased by 9.7%

West Midlands

The West Midlands decrease in unique job postings during August was above the national average. Postings were down by 17.4%, this was the largest month-on-month change in the region over the past year.
During August, the greatest decrease in listings was in the agriculture, environmental, and animal care sector (-26.3%) and the lowest was in the warehousing sector (-14.2%)
However, some regions and sectors saw a growth this month. Most noticeably, IT increased by 55.9% in Sandwell. Public Services & Administrative postings increased by 18.2% in Malvern Hills, and Wyre Forest saw an increase in warehousing by 12.5%.

Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire

Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire have seen unique job postings decline by –10.1%. Derbyshire (-13.8%), Nottinghamshire (-17%), Yorkshire (– 7.2%) all saw falls compared to last month.
These counties have also followed the national trend. In August, the education and training sector saw the biggest decline (-22.3%) and warehouse had the lowest (-1.8%).
However, some regions saw an increase in the warehousing sector, for example, South Yorkshire (3.8%) and West Yorkshire (4.7%). Alongside areas in Derbyshire, High Peak (38.5%), Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe, (31.4%) and Mansfield (16.9%).
Warehousing is at the top of the list of skills in demand.

Wales

Unique job postings in Wales decreased by -15.5% in August, the biggest drop for the country in the last 12 months
Following the August trend, the biggest drop in unique job postings was in the education and training sector (-23.1%). The lowest was in warehousing (-5.5%).
A few regions and sectors saw an increase during the month, such as Warehousing in Merthyr Tydfil (24.2%). Education & Training (19.6%) in Pembrokeshire, and Science & Engineering in Bridgend (17.6%).

Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire

During August, unique job postings decreased in the Southern regions by an average of -10.9%. This considerable drop still places the regions above the average postings count in the last 12 months.
The biggest decrease was in the protective services sector (-21.2%) and the lowest was in the warehousing sector (-4.4%) compared to July.

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