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Recruitment & retention

The six most competitive sectors in the UK

by Adeola Adeyemo 5 Jun 2015
by Adeola Adeyemo 5 Jun 2015 The admin sector in Leeds saw as many as 71 applicants per job on CV-Library.
The admin sector in Leeds saw as many as 71 applicants per job on CV-Library.

New research from CV-Library has revealed that administrative roles attract the most competition among candidates, with an average of 57.3 applicants per job.

This was particularly the case in Leeds, where the job board saw a record 71 applicants for each administrative vacancy.

Sector Applicants
per job
Admin 57.3
Customer services 37.0
Distribution 36.2
Manufacturing 31.3
Retail 27.4
Hospitality 25.9

However, competition for jobs in the UK has seen an overall decline in the last year, according to CV-Library, which is to be expected given falling unemployment.

The jobs board reported an average of 15.9 applicants per job in May 2015, compared with 18.3 in May 2014.

In contrast, the number of jobs advertised on the site rose by 29.8% in the last month.

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Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “With job numbers on the rise, it is more important than ever for UK businesses to go the extra mile to attract top professionals to their business.”

These figures are supported by the most recent research from the Office for National Statistics, which reported that UK employment rose by 202,000 in the first quarter of 2015.

Adeola Adeyemo

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1 comment

How To Find Your Dream Job | Life Files 21 May 2016 - 1:34 pm

[…] Research from CV Library reported that some sectors have an average of 51 candidates for every advertised job. The message: You need to stand out. You need to take charge. So, we asked professional head-hunter Rich Bank (great name for this kind of work) for insider advice on what will make you stand out and how you can force your way in. This is what he had to say… […]

Comments are closed.

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