Job vacancies were up by 11.9% and salaries increased by 4.3% in the third quarter when compared to the same period last year, according to research from CV-Library.

CV-Library pointed to a hike in business confidence that is starting to take effect, along with candidate registrations in some of the UK’s key industries rising steadily over the past three months.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, commented, “Despite unemployment being at its lowest rate since 1975, employer confidence is stronger than ever. But, while more candidates are showing interest in a new job, application rates aren’t keeping pace.”

“If we hope to bridge the ongoing skills gap and start strengthening the UK workforce once more, organisations need to focus on targeting passive candidates and pulling out all the stops in order to attract the right people to their roles,” Biggins said.