Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index for April

Increase of 13% from this time last year with Leisure, Sports and Entertainment increasing 10 fold and continued expansion within the tech sector

May 6th, 2004 ñ Job creation across the UK increased by 13% in April when compared to the same time last year according to the April 2004 Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index (JCI). 15 out of the 21 industries saw job creation improve considerably when benchmarked against the yearly average with the Leisure and Technology industries leading the way with increases 982% and 656% respectively.

The JCI figures are determined by comparing the number of jobs created within UK industrial sectors each month with the number of jobs created for the corresponding month in the previous year. The JCI figure shows individual industry performance, measured as a percentage above or below the number of jobs created from a year ago. From these figures, the following trends have been highlighted:

Aprilís Front Runners
Leisure, Sports and Entertainment ñ Job creation appears in full swing as this industry gears up for its prime summer months with a JCI of 982, representing almost a 1000% increase from April 2003

Gas, oil, electricity, coal, nuclear, water ñ With a JCI of 779, the energy sector appears to have finally broken its three month slump with job creation up increasing by over 700% from last year

Telecommunications and Internet Technologies ñ Continuing confidence spurred on by talks of IPOs and increasing IT budgets across many sectors has created a JCI of 656, another first for 2004

Aprilís Chasers
Media, Advertising, Marketing and Publishing ñ A JCI of ñ86 shows that the cautious approach by employers in Q1 has yet to disappear in some sectors

Healthcare Sector ñ With a JCI score of -100, job creation appears to be slowing down from its January high

Richard MacMillan, Managing Director of Adecco UK and Ireland said: ìThis month sees job creation rising sharply across more sectors than ever before, with demand outstripping supply across 15 key sectors. For the first time this year we have seen a situation where the job market is more buoyant than that of 2003, an excellent indicator of how the recruitment market is continuing to expandî

MacMillan continued ìIt is also encouraging to see dynamic markets such as the telecommunications and Internet industries experiencing sustained increases in job creation. Job creation is often one of the first indicators of returning confidence and Aprilís JCI illustrates that that even the most fluctuating sectors are enjoying healthy, stable growthî

The Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index is the ongoing monthly tracker of UK jobs created across 21 industries in the UK that enables year on year monthly comparisons. This ëliveí data is gathered via research during each month into the employment intentions of 500 leading UK organisations, providing a key, up-to-date indicator on economic performance and confidence across the sectors. The monthly study is conducted by Mandis Business Intelligence and sponsored by Adecco, the UKís largest recruiter.

Summarising the mood of employers in this monthís survey, Ray Murphy, Managing Director of Mandis Business Intelligence, commented: ìThe April 2004 JCI data presents the most positive recruitment picture seen this year, with two thirds of the 21 sectors monitored, showing positive movement compared to April 2003. During the first quarter, many employers had taken a cautious approach to recruitment but the start of the new financial year and buoyant economic growth has produced a very encouraging picture.î