Summary Of REC Report On Jobs

As the professional body for the UK recruitment industry, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is committed to using this data to inform public policy on a range of issues including skills, immigration, social mobility, education policy, productivity and pay. Any questions on the latest data or on our ongoing work on labour market issues, please just drop us a line.

The headlines this month are as follows:

• Permanent staff placements rose slightly in February, reaching a three-month high.
• Temporary/contract staff billings increased at the same rate as they did in February.
• Permanent staff salaries in February rose to a three-month high and stronger than the survey’s historical average.
• Temporary/contract staff hourly pay rates rose at the slowest pace for 33 months.
• The availability of staff for both permanent and temporary/contract roles continued to decline in February. However, rates of decline in eased in both cases to the slowest in at least two years.
• Regional Variations: The Midlands posted the fastest rise in permanent and temporary placements during February, while London reported the slowest growth for permanent placements and the South for temporary billings.
• Top perm in-demand jobs were in: Nursing/Medical/Care, Engineering, Secretarial/Clerical, Executive/Professional and Accounting/Financial
• Top temp in-demand jobs were in: Nursing/Medical/Care, Secretarial/Clerical, Accounting/Financial, Blue Collar and Construction
• The availability of candidates to fill permanent roles continued to decline in December – Specific hard to find skills include Accountants, LGV Drivers, Engineers, Nurses, Home Carers, and Developers.