Tue, 10 Apr 2012

March saw an 8% year-on-year increase in online job opportunities in the UK, driven by growth in IT hiring, reports the Monthly Employment Index (MEI) from jobs board Monster.

The 8% growth is the fastest rate since November 2008, while the 25% growth in IT jobs advertised online puts the sector at its highest MEI scores in February 2008.

Transport, post & logistics and engineering saw 17% year-on-year growth, with hospitality & tourism and construction & extraction growing by 15% and 12% respectively.

The Midlands experienced the highest growth in online job opportunities, up 19%, followed by Northern Ireland and the North of England, at 13% and 12% respectively.

Wales was the only region showing online jobs shrinkage, at -7%, although London and Scotland showed only sluggish growth, of 1% each.

Julian Acquari, managing director of Monster UK & Ireland, says: “The outlook for the UK does remain mixed, but more than two-thirds of industries across the UK have exhibited annual growth which indicates that the job opportunities online are picking up again.”