HRreview 20 Years
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Subscribe for weekday HR news, opinion and advice.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Permanent placements rise at slower pace amid further drop in candidate availability

-

Softer rise in permanent staff appointments…

 Permanent placements continued to rise sharply in July, though the rate of expansion was the softest recorded since last October. Temp billings also increased strongly, with the rate of growth picking up from June’s recent low.

…as supply of candidates continues to drop markedly

Recruitment agencies indicated that candidate shortages weighed on permanent staff appointments. Notably, the supply of both permanent and temporary candidates fell sharply in July, despite rates of decline easing to the weakest in three months in both cases.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

Staff vacancies rise at quicker pace…

Demand for staff strengthened further in July, with overall job vacancies expanding at the quickest rate for eight months. Growth was led by the private sector, with demand for both permanent and temporary workers continuing to rise at rates that comfortably outstripped those seen in the public sector.

..maintaining upward pressure on pay

Low candidate availability and robust demand for staff led to a further steep increase in salaries awarded to permanent starters. At the same time, temp pay rates rose at a marked and accelerated rate that was close to April’s two-year record.

Regional variation

Permanent placements rose at faster rates in the Midlands and the South of England, but growth softened in the North of England. In contrast, permanent staff appointments fell slightly in London.
Growth of temp billings was broad-based across the four monitored English regions during July, with the sharpest rate of increase seen in the North of England.
Sector variation
July data indicated that demand for staff continued to increase at a considerably stronger pace in the private sector than in the public sector.

The strongest increase in staff vacancies was seen for permanent private sector workers, while the weakest rise was signalled for public sector permanent roles.

IT & Computing was the most in-demand category for permanent staff in July. Nonetheless, steep increases in vacancies were also registered in the remaining nine job categories. The slowest rise in demand was reported for Retail workers.

Temporary staff vacancies rose across all of the ten monitored job categories in July, with the sharpest increases seen across Blue Collar and Nursing/Medical/Care. The slowest, but still marked, rise in short-term roles was signalled for Executive/Professional.
Sophie Wingfield, REC Head of Policy says:
“The rise in interest rates for only the second time in a decade may leave some people feeling the pinch. But a new job is one way people can ease the burden on their finances. With our data showing starting salaries continuing to rise, the latest official government figures suggest that we are finally seeing the effects of a tighter labour market feed through to pay.
“Following a period of turbulence and big name closures, the World Cup and heatwave had retailers enjoying a ‘summer bounce’ and basking in the sun with demand for temporary staff on the up with many businesses positively revising their hiring plans. Right now students on their summer break can make the most of these opportunities and cash-in while gaining valuable experience and new skills.”

Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.

Latest news

Felicia Williams: Why ‘shadow work’ is quietly breaking your people strategy

Employees are losing seven hours a week to tasks that fall outside their core job description. For HR leaders, that’s the kind of stat that keeps you up at night.

Redundancies rise as 327,000 job losses forecast for 2026

UK job losses are set to rise again as redundancy warnings hit post-pandemic highs, with employers cutting roles amid rising costs and economic pressure.

Rise of ‘sickfluencers’ and AI advice sparks concern over attitudes to work

Online influencers and AI tools are shaping how people approach illness and employment, heaping pressure on employers.

‘Silent killer’ dust linked to 500 construction deaths a year as 600,000 workers face exposure

Hundreds of UK construction workers die each year from silica dust exposure as a new campaign calls for stronger workplace protections.
- Advertisement -

Leaders ‘overestimate’ how much workers use AI

Firms may be misreading workforce readiness for artificial intelligence, as frontline staff report far lower day-to-day adoption than executives expect.

Cost-of-living pressures ‘keep unhappy workers in their jobs’

Many say economic pressures are forcing them to remain in jobs they would otherwise leave, as pay and financial stability dominate career decisions.

Must read

Robin Hoyle: performance management

Two weeks, two clients, two projects and apparently not...

Yvonne Gallagher: Gay marriage cake – what next for employers

Advice for employers based on insights of the court rulings over cases involving protected characteristics disputes.
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you