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Job vacancies have risen above one million for the first time since records began and now far exceed pre-pandemic levels, but skills shortages are still a cause for concern. There were 1,034,000 jobs on offer in June to August 2021, some 269,000 more than the previous quarter and 249,000 more than were available in January to March 2020, the latest labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics show. There was an increase across all industry sectors, with the majority seeing the highest number of jobs available since records began in 2001. The largest increase was seen in accommodation and food services, where the number of jobs on offer rose by 75.4% (57,600). There were 3.4 vacancies for every 100 employee jobs, also a record high. While the headline jobs market figures, alongside the rise in the number of payrolled employees (29.1 million) and a drop in the unemployment rate (4.6%), suggested that the UK jobs market was recovering after a year of uncertainty, industry bodies highlighted that many of the additional jobs were unlikely to be permanent and that hiring difficulties remained. CIPD’s senior labour market advisor Gerwyn Davies drew attention to the fact that the number of temporary jobs had risen by 9% since the onset of Covid-19, with the number of temporary workers in employment rising to a five-year high (1.36 million). “The sharp increase in temporary employment suggests that there’s more employers can do to address rising labour shortages. Candidates want more than a job; they also want some level of security after such an uncertain period. Rather than sitting on the fence, we need employers to bite the bullet and make more permanent hires where they can, to give candidates confidence and to fill the huge number of vacancies out there,” said Davies. “As well as creating more permanent roles, employers should consider a range of tactics to make their roles more attractive to candidates. For example, through improved pay and working conditions and flexible working options.”Recr
