The average advertised UK salary decreased by 1% in May when compared to the previous year, according to the latest UK Job Market Report from Adzuna.

The report from Adzuna also shows that vacancies were up 2.1% in May compared to the previous year while the number of jobseekers per vacancy decreased by 17.3%.

On a month-to-month basis in May, the average advertised salary increased by 0.2%, while vacancies were down 0.5% and jobseekers per vacancy increased by 2.3%. Over a six-month period, salaries increased by 1.6%.

According to Adzuna data, maintenance jobs for those expected to keep mechanical equipment, machines or buildings in top working condition have been listed as one of the worst-performing sectors in terms of annual wage changes. The average annual salary fell by 7.5% in May.

 “There can be a stigma attached to maintenance jobs due to their physically intensive nature, and the decline in salaries year-on-year places them among the worst-performing jobs,” Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said. “However, Adzuna data shows that maintenance jobs are in fact complementary to the rise of artificial intelligence and automation. The rise of the robots is all well and good, but we will still need humans on hand to ensure automated equipment is working as it should be. Maintenance jobs should be given better recognition as skills at all levels are necessary if we are to reap the benefits of a high-tech, productive and efficient post-Brexit economy.”