Festive boom sees twice as many jobs as jobseekers in the UK, although average advertised salaries continue to fall
The UK had twice as many jobs available as it did jobseekers in October, with 1,229,131 vacancies and only 664,130 people available to fill them.
According to a study released today by job search engine Adzuna, recruitment drives for festive season roles caused available jobs in October to skyrocket, going up 4.3 per cent from 1,178,129 in September.
“Twice as many jobs should mean twice as many choices for jobseekers – but this is only true for those with the right skills,” warned Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna. “Rising vacancies are signalling a spiralling skills gap, which appears to be worsening as many positions are left empty. As the festive season approaches, employers and companies are yet again reliant on the delicate yet crucial role internally migrating workers and workers from overseas have to play.”
More vacancies have not equated to more pay, with salaries offered falling 4.7 per cent compared to last year. October was also the third month in a row the average advertised salary had fallen.
London jobseekers probably felt disappointed, as the average advertised salary for the region was 7.1 per cent lower than a year ago. At 7.4 per cent, only Scotland saw a larger decline.
By comparison, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that pay has risen 2.5 per cent over the last year for those in work.
Monro remarked: “Wages are continuing to climb as advertised salaries slide, meaning the prospects for those in work, and those looking for work, are further diverging. With the National Living Wage coming into force next April, the outlook is bright for current employees of all levels. Workers in the lowest-paid positions will see the instant benefit of a pay hike, while more experienced workers are feeling the warmth of pay rises as their employers pull out all the stops to convince them to stay put.” [custom id="21"]