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Candidate availability has fallen at one of the fastest rates on record over the course of the past month. Reduced candidate availability was linked by respondents to the latest KPMG and Recruitment and Employment Confederation UK Report on Jobs to a combination of high demand, labour shortages, fewer foreign workers and hesitancy among employees to switch or seek out new roles. The survey flagged a further marked rise in hiring activity at the start of the final quarter of the year. However, growth of permanent staff appointments and temp billings fell to a six-month low, as candidate shortages affected recruiters’ ability to place new hires. A number of recruiters mentioned that candidate shortages had affected their ability to fill roles. The rate of deterioration did not match August's all-time record, but was nonetheless the fifth-sharpest seen since the survey began in October 1997. [pullquote]Job seekers need to feel confident that the skills they’ve gained in one sector are valued in another” – Claire Warnes, KPMG[/pullquote] Starting salaries and temp wages increased at the quickest rates seen in over 24 years of data collection, as companies offered higher pay to attract and secure staff. Out of the four monitored regions in England, only the Midlands noted a stronger rise in permanent placements, as rates of increase slowed elsewhere. Nonetheless, growth remained sharp across all four areas. Vacancies continued to rise more sharply in the private than public sector in October, with the steepest increase in demand seen for permanent staff in the private sector, found the report. The slowest upturn in demand was in permanent workers in the public sector, though growth remained sharp overall.
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