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

Many UK cities struggling to fill advertised vacancies

-

Corpus_Christi300
Cambridge: Where recruiters are having the most problems filling vacancies

Here’s some encouraging news for people seeking employment in Britain’s cities: there are now more vacancies than applicants in some of the nation’s population centres.

41 out of 56 UK cities are currently struggling to fill vacancies as competition for jobs falls to 0.58 jobseekers per advertised vacancy the lowest number since the Great Recession ripped through worldwide business in 2007.

Strong vacancy growth continues, with 1,178,129 positions available in September, up 2.4 percent from August and 30.0 percent year-on-year, but many vacancies left unfulfilled due to lack of skilled labour.

Adzuna’s UK Job Market Report discovered that employers and recruiters in Cambridge are having the most problems filling vacancies, with just 0.09 applicants per vacancy, shortly followed by Guildford (0.10 jobseekers per vacancy) and Oxford (0.13 jobseekers per vacancy).

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

 

At the opposite end of the scale Sunderland was the worst city for jobseekers during September, with 4.01 jobseekers per vacancy, followed by Hull, which saw an average of 3.05 jobseekers per vacancy.

“Many cities don’t have enough home-grown talent to fill new positions, meaning companies are increasingly relying on workers from elsewhere in the UK as well as from overseas,” Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna.

At £33,121, the average advertised salary has also fallen, dropping 4.5 per cent from £34,695 a year ago.

Advertised salaries for London jobs sank even more, dropping to £39,815, which is 6.9 per cent lower than a year ago.

 

Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.

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

Dominique Jones: How to identify, develop and retain high potential employees

High potential employees are seen as almost twice as valuable to their organisations as employees (HiPos) who are not high potential.

Jon Rhymes: How technology will transform the temporary jobs market

Jon Rhymes, co-founder of WorkGaps, believes that technology rather than legislation can make zero-hours contracts work better for both employers and workers.
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you