Demand for permanent staff rises in North as uncertainty eases, says latest Report on Jobs

In the latest of KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Report on Jobs, January saw the quickest rise in permanent appointments since May last year in the North of England.

The report, published monthly, is the result of a survey of recruitment consultancies across the regions reporting the demand for workers they receive from clients.  While demand for permanent staff has been rising consistently for five months, January saw a sharp increase in demand which has been attributed to easing of Brexit and election related uncertainty in the economy.

Nationally, demand for permanent workers also rose during January, however the North of England saw above average growth in vacancies, both for temporary and permanent contracts.

The Report on Jobs also indicated that the availability of workers for those roles declined steeply, although the North of England had the least severe contraction in the availability of staff, relative to the other UK regions.

The survey also indicated that starting salaries for workers are continuing to rise in the North, driven by skills shortages in the labour market.

Commenting on the latest survey results, Jennifer Lee, head of KPMG’s Liverpool office, said:

As anticipated, we’re seeing the job market throw off some of the shackles associated with months of economic uncertainty. Firms are seeing the first half of this year as an opportunity to press ahead with their growth plans, despite the fact there’s a long way to go until the region’s businesses have the clarity they need, due to ongoing EU trade and regulatory negotiations. As a result, the demand for highly skilled workers has accelerated significantly putting job-movers in a strong position to boost their prospects.”