The report from CV-Library analysed job market data throughout 2019 and compared it with statistics from 2018. The findings show that key cities witnessed an even bigger jump in applications last year, making them the best locations for hiring in 2020:
- Leicester – job applications up by 14.7%
- Bristol – job applications up by 13%
- Aberdeen – job applications up by 12.9%
- London – job applications up by 11.2%
- Brighton – job applications up by 10%
- Portsmouth – job applications up by 9.1%
- Southampton – job applications up by 8.7%
- Edinburgh – job applications up by 8.5%
- Nottingham – job applications up by 8.4%
- Manchester – job applications up by 5.4%
A key driving factor behind the jump in applications may well be the fact that average pay jumped up by 3.7% in 2019. The biggest salary increases were seen in Edinburgh (up 8.1%), Leeds (up 6.7%) and Hull (up 5%).
Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library commented:
“Despite severe political and economic uncertainty over the last year, it’s positive to see that the UK jobs market has continued to grow. The fact that this is an ongoing trend should instil confidence in employers who may have put their recruitment plans on pause in the run up to the election; especially as January is consistently one of the best times to hire.”
The report also shows that businesses were advertising more roles in 2019, with the number of job adverts increasing by 3.7% across the UK. In fact, competition might be tough for businesses looking to fill roles in Scotland, with the number of job postings growing by 25.7% in Glasgow and 20.5% in Edinburgh.
Lee Biggins continues:
“While competition for jobs may be higher in some areas, this increase in job applications is great news for businesses looking for new talent. Don’t wait to take advantage of this growth and start advertising your latest job roles now.
“If you’re worried about attracting the best candidates in highly competitive areas, don’t panic. You can still make the most of this influx of applications by posting your vacancies to job boards and working with suppliers to ensure your roles stand out. Start searching for your new hire now.”
About CV-Library
CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts over 4.3 million unique job seekers every month. Founded by Lee Biggins in 2000, CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent online job board with a database of over 14 million CVs.
