According to the latest job market data from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, employers across the UK are seeing strong successes in their hiring strategies right now, with the amount of advertised vacancies rising by 5.3% in July; the highest they’ve been since October 2018.
Indeed, the findings, which analysed job market data from July 2019 with the same period in 2018, found that candidate applications also rose by an even greater 14.9%. This suggests that businesses are in an enviable position right now, gaining a strong return on recruiting investments and enjoying their pick of the bunch.
The top ten cities that saw the biggest hikes in applications to new roles year-on-year are as follows:
- Edinburgh – 23.3% increase in applications
- London – 22.9% increase in applications
- Southampton – 21.9% increase in applications
- Bristol – 21.5% increase in applications
- Brighton – 16.9% increase in applications
- Leicester – 16.3% increase in applications
- Manchester – 14.3% increase in applications
- Birmingham – 11.2% increase in applications
- Cardiff – 9% increase in applications
- Glasgow – 6.7% increase in applications
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library comments:
“July was not only a record month in terms of the weather, but also for job vacancies. Employers have been upping their recruiting efforts and clearly, candidates have been listening. Our job market data shows that businesses have bucked the trend of slowing down their hiring plans during the quieter summer months and are seeing a strong return on their recruitment drive as a result.
“These findings are especially positive, considering the mini heatwave we’ve had in the past month. Whilst many Brits would be tempted to take days off to chill out and enjoy the sunshine, it seems that instead they’ve been busy applying for new jobs. So, if you’re thinking of expanding your team or are recruiting for a difficult position, now’s the time to advertise your vacancies.”
What’s more, the data also reveals that average pay packets for new jobs have hit a three-month high and grew by 5.6% year-on-year, contributing to the overall jump in candidate applications. In addition to this, key cities saw even higher salary increases, including: Leicester (9.9%), Glasgow (8.4%) and Manchester (6.2%).
Biggins continues:
“It’s not rocket science that pushing up pay packets will attract more candidates to your jobs, but it’s not the only solution; especially in these warmer summer months. Candidates appreciate alternative perks, such as flexible and remote working options. Whilst it’s great to receive more candidate applications, you want to be sure that you’ll retain employees you’ve taken on as well!”
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.
