North-South recruitment divide highlighted by construction sector boom
27 November 2013
The number of job vacancies across the UK rose 9.2% to 748,923 in October, but a North-South divide, especially evident in construction, is splitting the labour market, finds jobs search engine Adzuna.
Wed, 27 Nov 2013The number of job vacancies across the UK rose 9.2% to 748,923 in October, but a North-South divide, especially evident in construction, is splitting the labour market, finds jobs search engine Adzuna.
The volume of vacancies nationwide was nearly 10% higher than in October 2012, and 5.3% up on September’s total of 710,859. The only area outside the South to register more than one vacancy per jobseekers allowance claimant was Aberdeen. With over three times as many jobs as jobseekers, Cambridge is the best place to find work.
Meanwhile, the four worst places in the UK to find a job on this measure were in the North, with over 20 jobseekers per role. They were: Hull, Salford, Sunderland and The Wirral.
Adzuna points out construction is an area that exacerbates and highlights this divide. A total of just under 49% of construction vacancies in October were to be found in London and the South-East, with two-fifths of those within the capital. Construction vacancies near doubled year-on-year in these geographies.
A further 17% were in the East or the South-West, and another 15% in the Midlands, leaving few roles further North, or in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
But it was not all bad news for the Welsh and the Scots – or those who have jobs – with these areas seeing “the most promising signs of a salary recovery”, while nationwide average salaries were down 1.3% year-on-year.
The volume of vacancies nationwide was nearly 10% higher than in October 2012, and 5.3% up on September’s total of 710,859. The only area outside the South to register more than one vacancy per jobseekers allowance claimant was Aberdeen. With over three times as many jobs as jobseekers, Cambridge is the best place to find work.
Meanwhile, the four worst places in the UK to find a job on this measure were in the North, with over 20 jobseekers per role. They were: Hull, Salford, Sunderland and The Wirral.
Adzuna points out construction is an area that exacerbates and highlights this divide. A total of just under 49% of construction vacancies in October were to be found in London and the South-East, with two-fifths of those within the capital. Construction vacancies near doubled year-on-year in these geographies.
A further 17% were in the East or the South-West, and another 15% in the Midlands, leaving few roles further North, or in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
But it was not all bad news for the Welsh and the Scots – or those who have jobs – with these areas seeing “the most promising signs of a salary recovery”, while nationwide average salaries were down 1.3% year-on-year.
- Click for more construction and property industry recruitment news from recruiter.co.uk, or see the Sector Analysis in December’s print edition of Recruiter.
