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UK — Number of professional vacancies up in 2016

01 March 2016

Professional recruitment firms now have 2% more vacancies on their books in 2016 than this time last year according to new survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

The data show that vacancies within the finance and accounting sectors continue to climb rapidly with a 12% increase in permanent vacancies year-on-year.

In contrast, APSCo’s data found that engineering vacancies have dipped by 12% year on year.

Meanwhile, APSCo’s figures also reveal that median salaries across all professional sectors continue to climb steadily, increasing by 4.2% year-on-year. This figure is characterised by notable fluctuations in terms of sector, with property and banking, for example, recording uplifts of 14.4% and 4.9% respectively. This rise in remuneration within the professional arena exceeds the national increase in salaries as reported by the Office for National Statistics which found that average earnings grew at an annual rate of 2% in the three months to December 2015. 

“Once again, employment levels have continued to climb”, Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo said. “The rate of salary growth across the professional sectors continues to outstrip that of the more general employment market as organisations bank on senior or specialist talent to facilitate future growth”.  

Temporary and contract vacancies have increased across the professional staffing market with opportunities up by 6% year-on-year. Vacancies within finance and accounting were particularly strong, increasing by 10%, with IT and Engineering also recording uplifts of 7% and 1% respectively. 

“The number of self-employed people in the UK has swelled by over half a million since 2010, accounting for over a quarter of the growth in total employment during this time”, Swain said. “There are now in excess of 4.6 million professionals working on a self-employed basis, representing 15% of the UK workforce. Likewise, the recruitment profession is also responding to this structural change in the jobs market, as organisations and contractors alike reap the economic benefits of working on a flexible basis”.