New data from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, shines a light on hiring across different industries in the UK, revealing that white-collar workers in particular are facing headwinds.
The data reveals that hiring has been gradually improving since the start of lockdown, climbing to -6% year-on-year, compared to a low of -49% in mid-May. However, the recovery has not been even across industries.
Sectors like Finance, Legal, Software & IT, Corporate Services and Media & Communications, which have largely white-collar roles, are facing tougher hiring prospects than other industries and are all below the national hiring rate. However, Entertainment and Recreation & Travel are still the worst hit sectors, down -30.1% and -31.2% year-on-year. Conversely, industries like Transport & Logistics, Healthcare and Construction are all in positive growth, according to LinkedIn’s hiring data.
LinkedIn industry hiring rate, year-over-year percentage change:
Transportation & Logistics: +18.1%
Healthcare: +11.5%
Construction: +9.4%
Hardware & Networking: -1.7%
Retail: -6%
Manufacturing: -7%
Corporate Services: -7.3%
Consumer Goods: -8.5%
Real Estate: -8.6%
Software & IT Services: -9.1%
Finance: -9.5%
Legal: -9.6%
Media & Communications: -16.6%
Entertainment: -30.1%
Recreation & Travel: -31.2%
Adam Hawkins, Head of Search & Staffing at LinkedIn, says: “LinkedIn’s latest data shows that hiring in the UK is steadily improving which will be welcome news to recruiters who are playing an integral role in restarting economies, getting people back to work and building back career confidence in the market. Industries like Transport & Logistics, Healthcare and Construction are all now back in positive growth and provide rich opportunities for workers. Conversely, we’re now seeing white-collar workers in sectors such as Finance, Legal and Corporate Services facing hiring headwinds as companies ease demand and focus on reskilling and upskilling workers.”
