HR and IT sectors show growth in advertised vacancies for first time in over six months

Despite reports of an impending double-dip recession and widespread coverage of rising unemployment, advertised jobs vacancies continue to slow in their decline and have even begun to increase in some sectors, reports Adecco. The HR and IT industries have shown tentative growth, demonstrating the first positive signs in the jobs market for more than six months.

While permanent advertised roles in the HR and IT sectors outperform the jobs market as a whole, general staffing roles in the banking, insurance and finance industry have also fared relatively well, showing only a very slight decline in both permanent and temporary advertised vacancies.

On average, temporary roles are seeing a greater decline than permanent vacancies, although this is the second month running that this decline has slowed. This may be a result of companies that made significant staff cuts earlier in the year hiring more permanent staff to drive performance and growth as they enter 2012.

On a less positive note, despite the approaching festive season being a traditionally strong time for retail, the sector continues to struggle with one of the highest levels of decline for permanent vacancies in the general staffing sector. Meanwhile decline in temporary retail roles is also showing a decline, though small, suggesting that while there is some demand for seasonal Christmas staff, it may not be as significant as in previous years.

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Steven Kirkpatrick, Managing Director, Adecco – the UK’s largest recruiter, said:

“While the HR profession has been stable for around 18 months, this growth is relatively recent and represents an encouraging return to job creation within the sector. Meanwhile, the IT industry has had a very stable year.

“Overall, decline in vacancies within the general staffing sector has slowed in recent months, and although the jobs market is undeniably suffering, there are still thousands of jobs available. We’d advise anyone looking for a job not to be too disheartened – the roles are out there and if candidates are able to successfully promote themselves and their skills, they should find that there are opportunities available.

“However, the decline in advertised roles within retail is a blow to the sector at a time when stores expect to make the bulk of their profits. Unfortunately, a combination of unseasonably warm weather and cautious consumer spending has led to a situation in which ‘the health of UK retail is deteriorating’, according to the British Retail Consortium. Many retailers will be nervous about levels of spending this Christmas, and this is reflected in their reticence to increase costs by hiring more staff.”