The number of job opportunities in the UK in January was 9% higher than for the same period last year, the latest figures based on analysis of over 8,000 UK recruiters reveals. But overall the recruitment picture remains mixed.
The Reed Job Index report, which each month tracks the number of new job opportunities and the salaries on offer on the Reed.co.uk website, highlights there was a growing demand for new workers in areas such as Marketing & PR, Estate Agency, Retail, Sales, Security, Charity and Media in January.
But the report shows a mixed lot for job opportunities, with declines in many sectors recorded. Job opportunities in sectors such as Banking and Energy, for example, did experience declines.
The banking sector continues to suffer amid the economic crisis, particularly the knock-on effects of the Euro Zone crisis. However, could the situation in Europe signal opportunities for the City of London and the financial sector as a whole?
Just yesterday London Mayor Boris Johnson cheekily urged French banks to move from Paris to London as a way of off-setting the negative effects of the financial transaction tax the French government have announced plans to introduce.
If the banks were to relocate they would create hundreds of permanent and temporary jobs in London and offer a significant boost to the financial sector in the UK. The announcement has left many recruitment specialists believing that discord in Europe could signal an opportunity, as much as a challenge, for businesses and employment prospects in the UK.
Perhaps unsurprisingly it was consumer facing jobs and the hospitality and catering sector in particular that experienced the biggest fall in jobs, dropping by as much as 33 points on the index since December 2011.
In terms of regional performance, both the North East and East Midlands performed best in January. Northern Ireland also performed well in terms of employment prospects.
However, figures published by the Bank of Scotland in January suggest that north of the border the labour market is not quite so buoyant. December figures for employment in both full and temporary positions across Scotland stood at a 14 month low.
“Growth in the number of job vacancies slowed while the number of people appointed to jobs fell for the first time in 15 months,” commented Donald MacRae, Chief Economist at Bank of Scotland on the figures.
“The Scottish economy is struggling to maintain growth momentum in the face of the global slowdown.”