Three tier lockdown restrictions impact on jobs: vacancies fall marginally throughout UK

- Hiring drops 6% week-on-week
- Covid-19 hotspots driving vacancy decline
- Applicant per vacancy levels approaching pre pandemic levels

Job vacancies decreased by 6% in the week ending 11th October, however advertised roles were up 39% when compared to the first week of September demonstrating that while uncertainty is clearly in the air as the Government’s three tier restrictions are implemented, the jobs market is faring well. That’s according to the latest real-time statistics from the world’s largest network of job boards, Broadbean Technology.

Vacancies in Covid-19 hotspots hit by uncertainty

According to the data, much of the decline in vacancy numbers was reported in cities that have been hit hardest by Covid-19, with Manchester and Birmingham seeing advertised roles fall by 8% and 5% respectively. This is indicative of the widespread uncertainty in the lead up to Boris Johnson’s announcement of the three-tier lockdown restrictions.

Applicants per vacancy numbers start to level out across hardest hit industries

When analysing the number of applicants per vacancy (APV), Broadbean’s data reveals that some of the hardest hit industries throughout the pandemic are beginning to see applicant numbers level out. Within Travel & Tourism, APV levels dropped 70% month-on-month which is indicative of not only a return from furlough for many employees, but also an increase in professionals seeking alterative careers in light of the pandemic. In comparison, at the height of the pandemic AVP levels increased by 47% in April and had more than doubled between March and May (170%). Across Administration and Secretarial roles, the APV level dropped 36% demonstrating that many individuals have returned from furlough as employers start to have not only the confidence, but also the ability to increase headcount and move away from the Government funding scheme.

Alex Fourlis, Managing Director at Broadbean Technology commented:

“While there’s no denying that the UK is facing tough times with regional lockdowns being implemented on a larger scale than in recent months and talks of a national circuit breaker lockdown on the cards, our figures demonstrate that it is by no means all doom and gloom. Vacancy levels have dropped over the last week, however when looking at month-on-month figures, we are seeing them increase at a healthy level, demonstrating that the jobs market is remaining resilient in the current client.

“And with APV numbers levelling out across some of the hardest hit industries, and nearly returning to ’normal’, there is certainly an air of optimism across the recruitment landscape. Of course, we can’t deny that the UK faces continued uncertainty, with the furlough scheme coming to an end in a few short weeks, and levels of Covid-19 continuing to increase. However, with employers better able to facilitate remote working and stay operational in times of lockdown, we are quietly confident that we won’t see the negative vacancy growth that we witnessed earlier this year.”

ENDS

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Vickie Collinge
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