UK job vacancies rose by 1.1 percent in July, marking the first significant increase of the year, with 862,043 positions available compared to June.
This is a positive sign for job seekers, offering a potential boost in prospects after a challenging year. According to the latest UK Job Market Report from job search engine Adzuna, the improvement is linked to renewed business confidence following positive economic growth and the election of a new government.
Despite this monthly increase, vacancies remain 17.69 lower compared to July 2023, highlighting that the job market still has ground to cover for a full recovery. Salaries also showed marginal growth, with the average advertised salary up by just 0.08 percent month-over-month to £38,863.
However, job competition has intensified, with jobseekers per vacancy rising to 2.09 – the most competitive level since May 2021, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The average time to fill a position decreased slightly, down to 35.6 days in July, signalling quicker hiring processes. Sectors like Property, Teaching, and Legal had the fastest turnover, while Travel and Energy, Oil & Gas roles took the longest to fill.
Junior-Level Hiring Sees Growth
One promising area of growth is in junior-level hiring, particularly in Graduate roles, which increased by 3.7 percent in July. Sectors such as Domestic Help & Cleaning saw a surge in demand, with vacancies rising by 12.72 percent. Other industries, including Legal, Manufacturing, Logistics & Warehouse, and Creative & Design, also posted gains.
Despite these positive trends, certain sectors experienced declines in job postings, including Charity & Voluntary (-8.04%), Travel (-4.74%), Hospitality & Catering (-4.58%), and Healthcare & Nursing (-3.67%).
Salary Transparency at Record Lows
While vacancies are on the rise, salary transparency has plummeted, with only 46.3 percent of job adverts including salary information – the lowest figure since Adzuna began tracking the metric in 2016. More than half of job listings now fail to disclose pay, making it harder for job seekers to assess opportunities.
Regional Salary Trends
Regionally, the West Midlands saw the largest annual increase in average salaries, up 5.62 percent, followed closely by the East Midlands (5.59%) and Eastern England (4.93%). London remains the highest-paying region, with an average salary of £44,732, but annual growth was more modest at 1.84 percent. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland experienced the slowest salary growth, at just 1.08 percent.
Warehouse Work Remains In-Demand
Warehouse roles have consistently topped the list of in-demand positions for 14 consecutive months, according to Adzuna’s “Trending Jobs” data. Cleaner roles ranked second for the second month in a row, while Sales Assistant positions rose to third place. Social Care Worker roles, traditionally high in demand, slipped to sixth.
Outlook for Job vacancies
James Neave, Head of Data Science at Adzuna, said: “July’s increase in job vacancies brings a much-needed sign of relief for job hunters. The rise, though modest at 1.1 percent, is significant given the typical summer hiring slowdown. The boost in junior-level hiring, particularly in Graduate roles, is encouraging for those entering the workforce. Whether this optimism will continue into August remains to be seen, but for now, the outlook for job seekers has brightened.”
Adzuna’s monthly UK Job Market Report compiles data from over 1,000 sources, offering an up-to-date overview of employment opportunities across the country. The data is also used by government bodies, including the Office for National Statistics and the Cabinet Office.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
