Green shoots for jobs market as both vacancies and wages rise
Job vacancies have grown for a second straight month in a positive sign for the UK economy, although retail has continued to struggle.
Vacancies grew year-on-year for the first time since July 2022, up 1.03 per cent to 871,168, according to Adzuna.
Average salaries similarly continued climbing to £41,962 in March 2025, a 1.12 per cent increase on February and an 8.6 year on year increase.
“After more than two years of sluggish annual growth in vacancies, it’s encouraging to see signs of green shoots finally returning to the UK job market, with modest year-on-year growth,” Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said.
“March’s rise in both advertised roles and salaries points to growing employer confidence – particularly across healthcare, social care and education,” he added.
The rise in total vacancies saw March’s jobseeker per vacancy ratio remain steady at 2.04, the same as February, after hitting 2.05 in January.
Meanwhile, the average time it takes to fill job roles is now 35.3 days, up from 34.9 days in the previous month.
Retail and graduate roles plummet
Some sectors saw significant annual vacancy drops. The number of retail jobs fell by 43.11 per cent year-on-year, while the number of travel jobs fell by 37.47 per cent and communications roles fell by 30 per cent.
With margins stretched by a cost-of-living crisis and intense competition, retail is particularly susceptible to recent policy changes.
Large and small retailers alike warned that the cost pressures would reduce hiring and push up prices.
Economic conditions also affected graduate roles, which fell 17.3 per cent to a two-year low.
“The sharp reversal in graduate hiring shows how fragile recovery can be, and employers may be waiting for clearer economic signals before committing to entry-level hiring,” Hunter said.