Report on jobs: manufacturing hiring spikes as optimism grows

- Vacancies increase 81% year-on-year
- Manufacturing sector bounces back following 18 months of uncertainty


Hiring across the UK manufacturing arena is at a record high after months of uncertainty driven by both Covid-19 and Brexit, with vacancies up 81% between quarter one 2020 and quarter one 2021. That’s according to the latest real-time statistics from the world’s largest network of job boards, Broadbean Technology.



Manufacturing sector bounces back following 18 months of uncertainty

Broadbean’s data not only reveals that manufacturing vacancies rose substantially in the first three months of 2021 when compared to the same time a year earlier, but that they also increased exponentially in comparison to pre-pandemic levels of hiring. In the week ending 28th March, the number of roles advertised was up 129% when compared to the last week of March 2019.

This huge increase in hiring is in keeping with reports from the CBI that UK manufacturers have recorded the sharpest rise in optimism since 1973 amid growing demand. The CBI’s research also reveals that manufacturers plan to hire staff at the fastest rate since 1974 over the next three months in preparation for the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. This is in keeping with Broadbean’s data that optimism in the sector has continued throughout April with jobs up 88% last week when compared to the same period in 2019.



Alex Fourlis, Managing Director at Broadbean Technology commented:

“It’s incredibly encouraging to see such positive news for the UKs manufacturing arena which has been suffering at the hands of both Covid-19 and Brexit over the past 18 months. And while our data, and indeed that from the CBI, suggests that the tide is turning with both confidence and hiring intentions retuning to manufacturing employers, it would be remiss to suggest that the recovery will be sustained. However, we are optimistic that the huge growth we are noting in vacancy numbers is indicative of a turning tide for employers and jobseekers in an arena that has been hit particularly hard over the last 18 months. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the coming months as lockdown measures ease further and the vaccination programme continues at great pace”.



ENDS

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