January 2004 job creation index (JCI) figures released ñ 31,106 positions created

The UK healthcare sector is seeing major year-on-year job creation, with employers planning major increases in staffing levels to meet demand, according to the January 2004 Mandis/Adecco Job Creation Index (JCI). Compared with a year ago, the number of jobs created amongst the survey sample for January 2004 increased eightfold, indicating that demand may be outstripping supply in this key sector.

The Retail and Banking sectors also have made early gains in 2004. Jobs roles created in retail more than doubled from January 2003 while banking positions jumped fivefold. The new year seems to have signalled optimism for many UK employers and an encouraging 31,106 jobs were created amongst the surveyed companies.

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:

Januaryís Front Runners

Healthcare Sector ñ With a massive JCI score of 830, demand looks set to well exceed supply

Retailing and Wholesaling ñ Job creation more than doubled from a year before with another JCI score of 112

Finance and Banking ñ Renewed confidence in this industry saw job creation levels soar to a JCI of 532 for this month

Januaryís Chasers

Media, Advertising, Marketing and Publishing ñ A JCI of ñ84 shows that, despite indications of a recovery in this sector, employers still seem cautions to create new positions

Insurance and Pensions ñ dropped significantly from this time last year with a JCI of ñ 268 indicating further problems for the sector

Support Services and Consulting ñ Showed a more cautious approach to the year with a JCI of ñ81 while still creating 1,067 jobs this month

Richard Macmillan, Managing Director of Adecco UK and Ireland said: ìThe healthcare sector is an area where Adecco sees a massive under-supply of skilled labour and this is something echoed in this monthís JCI. Professions such as nursing and social work in both the public and private sectors have real job shortages and pressure to fill positions quickly. Having launched our Adecco Health and Social business service recently to cater for this, we see continued job creation in this sector for the remainder of the year.î

He continued: ìThis is the first look at how UK PLC is looking at job creation in 2004, and the picture looks positive. Despite mixed fortunes for key retailers over the past few months, the retail sector as a whole more than doubled its job creation plans from this time last year. Finance and Banking is always a key bellwether and this sector saw major job creation as we kicked off the year.î

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: ìEmployers are becoming increasingly positive about intentions to invest and expand their organisations in 2004 and beyond. However job creation tends to lag behind the crystallising of these intentions and as a consequence, it is expected that a surge of new jobs opportunities will begin across many sectors over the next 2-3 months. However a shortage of suitably qualified candidates could derail these plans and cause major bottlenecks preventing growth.î