The number of job adverts in the UK continued to rise during June, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)’s latest Jobs Recovery Tracker. In the week of 22-28 June, there were 990,000 unique active job postings in the UK, up from 963,000 in the first week of June.
There were also over 92,000 new job postings in the week of 22-28 June. While this is lower than the 112,000 new postings that were added earlier in the month, between 1-7 June, it is much higher than the same periods in April and May this year, and supports the overall rise in active job postings in the UK.
As pubs and restaurants in England get ready to re-open their doors on Saturday, one area where there was a notable increase in job postings was the hospitality sector.
Between the weeks of 1-7 June and 22-28 June, the number of active job postings for bar staff in the UK rose by 57%, from 958 to 1,505. Job adverts for waiters and waitresses grew by 63%, from 753 to 1,225.
The biggest increase in adverts for these hospitality roles was in London, but there was growth across the whole of England. However, the number of job postings in the sector remains low compared to before the lockdown, and many firms will start by bringing back staff who had been furloughed.
Other occupations which saw increased numbers of job postings in the second half of June were skilled construction roles such as glaziers (+21.0%), bricklayers (+5.5%) and roofers (+5.3%), as more building sites continue to open. There was also growth for some school support roles including midday supervisors and crossing patrols (+9.3%). The number of job postings for barbers and hairdressers rose by 2.1%, with many people eagerly looking forward to their first proper haircut for three months.
Local hiring hotspots for the second half of June included Mid Lancashire (+9.6%), Luton (+9.3%) and Dumfries & Galloway (+7.6%), highlighting the jobs recovery is progressing across the breadth of the country, rather than being concentrated in major cities.
Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said:
“The effects of easing the lockdown are clearly reflected in jobs postings data. While many hospitality and construction firms will start by taking staff off furlough, the market for new jobs in these sectors is starting to improve from the record lows of the past few months.
“Our recovery can only pick up pace as consumer and business confidence returns. Like many businesses, we want Rishi Sunak to step up with a big plan to do this next week. Lower National Insurance, designed to keep people in work, will be vital to boosting confidence, alongside investment in infrastructure and skills to help the business fightback.”
Matthew Mee, Director, Workforce Intelligence at Emsi said:
“Whilst it’s clear to see the demand for staff across ‘key worker’ jobs remain dominant across the UK, particularly within Healthcare and Supermarket chains, what’s really encouraging to see is a number of new sectors reigniting recruitment efforts over the last week or so.
“This includes a significant volume of postings directly from Retailers and the Hospitality industry (most notably in Food & Beverage) as they get ready for the lockdown measures to ease. We’re also seeing early signs of new activity from other parts of the economy, including Construction and Financial Services. There is still very little direct activity emerging in the Automotive and Leisure sectors (hotels specifically) so this is one to watch closely in the weeks ahead as travel restrictions are lifted.”
