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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

UK businesses remain defiant in the face of uncertainty, as pay rises and job vacancies boom

Despite ongoing economic and political uncertainty, UK businesses are remaining defiant in their hiring efforts, with advertised jobs rising by 10.5% year-on-year and average pay for new roles increasing by an impressive 19.9%. That’s according to CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board.

The findings, which compare job market data from September 2019 with the same period in 2018, also reveal that certain UK cities saw even bigger hikes in salaries, including Brighton (up 73.8%), Newcastle (up 57.2%) and Bristol (up 31.5%). Alongside this, Glasgow saw the biggest jump in jobs (up 32.9%), followed by Edinburgh (28.1%) and Nottingham (26.3%).

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:

“This underlying job market growth is certainly surprising given the uncertainty amid Boris Johnson’s unlawful decision to suspend parliament. However, despite the Brexit mess we find ourselves in, we know that September is usually a busy month for hiring, which could explain why employers are feeling confident and why the market has experienced such a boom.

“Companies in the UK are showing their mettle in abnormal hiring conditions and are continuing to defy expectations by pushing forward with their recruitment efforts. That said, organisations should be cautious of constantly pushing up pay as it might not be sustainable in the long run.”

According to the findings, it appears that professionals are responding positively to the job market boom, as applications rose by a sturdy 18.9%. What’s more, it appears that the South saw the biggest jump in candidate appetite, with Brighton (up 36.2%), Southampton (up 31.9%) and Portsmouth (up 31.5%) experiencing the biggest increases.

Biggins continues:

“While the job market is strong and it’s a popular time to search for a job, employers shouldn’t relax and rest on their laurels. The Brexit deadline is looming and there’s certainly a bigger issue at hand. We all know that the job market may be affected by a no-deal exit on the 31st and while this is a real possibility, my advice would be to take advantage of this jobs boom now, as we don’t know how long it may last for.”