The number of applicants per job has jumped by more than a third year-on-year, data from CV-Library has shown.
The job board’s analysis of the thousands of roles posted on its site in August 2023 showed that applications per job grew by 38.3% on average, compared with August 2022.
It is the highest the application-per-job ratio has been since early 2021, CV-Library said.
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Social care roles saw the largest increase in applications per job compared with last year (142.8%), followed by education (64%), IT (60%), construction (39.8%) and distribution (39.2%) roles.
Applications per job increases were highest in the East Midlands (54.4%) North West (49.4%) and West Midlands (47.3%).
CV-Library chief executive Lee Biggins said: “The job market is undoubtedly shifting. While job vacancies are still high, they’ve fallen from their peak levels in July 2022, and jobseekers are up against more applicants than they have been since January 2021.
“The other persistent factor is the cost of living: as it continues to squeeze, we are seeing more candidates returning to the job market looking to increase or supplement their income.”
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation recently said the annual August slowdown in recruitment activity was less severe this year. Between 8 and 14 August, there were 28.8% more new job postings than a year earlier.
It found that many jobs were staying on the market for longer, suggesting they were proving difficult to fill.
“Businesses have been more cautious about hiring in light of high inflation and cost of capital, as well as wider economic concerns. Client feedback for the past couple of months has been more positive, however,” said REC chief executive Neil Carberry.
“Firms are ready to recruit for the future and more confident in their plan – a stark contrast with the more cautious and concerned view of August 2022.”
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