Good time for employers and jobseekers says CV-Library.

Data from CV-Library suggests that employers across the UK are seeing strong successes in their hiring strategies with the amount of advertised vacancies rising by 5.3 per cent in July; the highest they’ve been since October 2018.

Indeed, the findings, which analysed job market data from July 2019 with the same period in 2018, found that candidate applications also rose by an even greater 14.9 per cent. This suggests that businesses are in an enviable position right now, gaining a strong return on recruiting investments and enjoying their pick of the bunch.

The top ten cities that saw the biggest hikes in applications to new roles year-on-year are as follows:

1. Edinburgh – 23.3 per cent increase in applications
2. London – 22.9 per cent increase in applications
3. Southampton – 21.9 per cent increase in applications
4. Bristol – 21.5 per cent increase in applications
5. Brighton – 16.9 per cent increase in applications
6. Leicester – 16.3 per cent increase in applications
7. Manchester – 14.3 per cent increase in applications
8. Birmingham – 11.2 per cent increase in applications
9. Cardiff – 9 per cent increase in applications
10. Glasgow – 6.7 per cent increase in applications

“July was not only a record month in terms of the weather, but also for job vacancies,” says Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library. “Employers have been upping their recruiting efforts and clearly, candidates have been listening. Our job market data shows that businesses have bucked the trend of slowing down their hiring plans during the quieter summer months and are seeing a strong return on their recruitment drive as a result.

“These findings are especially positive, considering the mini heatwave we’ve had in the past month,” Biggins adds. “Whilst many Brits would be tempted to take days off to chill out and enjoy the sunshine, it seems that instead they’ve been busy applying for new jobs. So, if you’re thinking of expanding your team or are recruiting for a difficult position, now’s the time to advertise your vacancies.”

The data also reveals that average pay packets for new jobs have hit a three-month high and grew by 5.6 per cent year-on-year, contributing to the overall jump in candidate applications. In addition to this, key cities saw even higher salary increases, including: Leicester (9.9 per cent), Glasgow (8.4 per cent) and Manchester (6.2 per cent).