Perm candidate placements down in London as vacancies rise
Permanent placements in London have declined for first time since October last year, according to the latest Report on Jobs from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.
Findings from September’s data, released this morning, show permanent placements in the capital decreased marginally last month, ending a 10-month sequence of growth. The decline contrasted with another marked expansion across the UK as a whole, albeit the weakest since April.
This latest data also indicated a 14th consecutive monthly rise in temporary billings at the end of the third quarter. Although solid, the rate of growth softened substantially on August and was the least marked since March. A rise in temporary billings was again witnessed across the UK as a whole in September. As was the case with permanent placements, however, the rate of growth weakened from August, with weaker increases in temp billing signalled for each monitored region bar Scotland.
The number of permanent job vacancies in London rose in September, continuing a trend evident since August last year. Notably, the rate of growth remained sharp. Demand for temporary staff in London also rose at a marked pace, albeit weaker than in August.
The supply of candidates available to fill permanent positions in London fell for the 52nd consecutive months during September. The rate of decline moderated from August but was marked overall. Permanent candidate supply also fell at the UK level in September, while the rate of contraction accelerated to a four-month record and was marked overall. The decline was broad-based across each of the surveyed regions, led by the South of England.
The availability of workers for short-term roles in London dropped further at the end of Q3. The rate of decline remained marked, despite easing since August. The availability of temporary staff also fell in line with the rest of the country, continuing a trend that evident since July 2013. The overall rate of reduction weakened since August, but remained sharp. Softer rates of deterioration were witnessed across all regions except bar the North of England.
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