Member Article

Adzuna respond to latest ONS labour market statistics

The jobs market recovery is steaming ahead, leaving unemployment trailing in its wake. The number of jobs on offer has grown by almost a quarter over the last year, and there are actually more vacancies available than there are people looking for jobs. Now, a new problem is rearing its head – we don’t have enough skilled workers to match demand for staff in booming industries like Manufacturing and IT. As a result, employers in these industries are offering more attractive salary packages, to tempt qualified workers across from their competitors.

The gap between inflation and pay has widened to a healthy margin, meaning employees are now seeing some real improvements in wages. But wider world events are working both with and against the wage rises. Falling fuel prices are forcing inflation downwards, but at the same time uncertainty in the Eurozone is dampening the economic recovery. And youth unemployment remains a thorn in the side of the jobs market revival. More needs to be done to help people break into the workforce – particularly those who are new to the jobs market and those whose skills don’t match up with the areas of growth.

Encouraging employers to offer more apprenticeships to help workers up-skill on the job, would be one way to address this issue.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Andrew Hunter .