The month of October saw a 17% decrease in the number of available jobs along with a 7% decrease in the number of professionals seeking jobs, compared to the previous year, according to the latest Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor.

On a month-to-month basis, there was a 6% decrease in jobs available along with a 14% decrease in professionals seeking jobs.

According to the monitor, “With a mere 6% decrease in jobs month-on-month, October employment opportunities stand in stark contrast to the post-Brexit alarmist rhetoric.”

“There’s a tendency to blame everything on Brexit these days, so it’s encouraging to see that businesses haven’t stopped recruiting”, said Hakan Enver, Operations Director, Morgan McKinley Financial Services.

Meanwhile, Morgan McKinley states that a 14% month-on-month decrease in professionals seeking jobs is unusual for October, when the half-term break usually frees up time for people to research new professional opportunities.

“It’s been a long, arduous year full of uncertainty, so we’re seeing people’s appetite for job-seeking subside,” Enver said. “Most have begun the wait for New Year’s bonuses early.”

Meanwhile, during October 2016, the average salary change was 17%. This meant that a financial services professional leaving one organisation to go to another could, on average, secure a 17% salary increase. This figure has remained steady since July of this year, which suggests that institutions are generally hesitant in offering extravagant packages to entice people across.