Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsProfessional servicesHR strategyJob creation and lossesLabour market

Vacancy numbers in professional services begin to fall

by Adam McCulloch 9 Dec 2021
by Adam McCulloch 9 Dec 2021 Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

Professional services vacancies in the UK declined by 9% in November, marking an end to a 10-month hiring spree, but hiring in all sectors continues to hit new peaks.

Numbers of vacancies had been increasing in each month of 2021, by 6% each month (an average of 32,377 new vacancies each month), according to professional services recruiter Robert Walters, but vacancy numbers in November fell back to a level last seen in May.

The biggest contraction in November was in northern England (-14%) – following the announcement that the HS2 northern rail link would be downgraded. Contractions were also felt in the South (-10%), London (-9%), and the Midlands (-8%).

The fall in vacancies was not a surprise to Chris Poole, managing director of Robert Walters. He said that following the reopening of many sectors post-lockdown “businesses made immediate staffing assessments based on people leaving or not returning, which in-turn led to a short-term spike in hiring that was always going to be temporary”.

He added: “The emergence of a new variant has yet again left members of parliament sitting on either side of the lockdown argument – creating a lingering air of uncertainty across businesses, particularly within the retail, leisure and hospitality space.”

Recruitment

Recruitment: Power to remain with candidates in 2022

XpertHR, latest recruitment trend analysis

CIPD: One in four expect hiring difficulties to increase

Nationally, the analysis showed professional vacancies were up 110% on 2020 and 55% up when compared with 2019 pre-pandemic numbers. With that, June 2021 was the record month across the period with almost three times the number of vacancies compared with June 2020 (+263%), and over 60% more jobs when compared with June 2019.

Meanwhile, hiring activity has continued to increase, despite the softening vacancy rates and falling candidate supply, found the KPMG and REC Report on Jobs survey published today (9 December).

This “notable imbalance between the supply and demand for workers” has led to further increases in starting pay. The rate of starting salary inflation hit a fresh record in November.

Last month saw permanent placements rising at a sharper rate than in October, the fifth-quickest on record, with IT and computing posted the steepest increase in demand for permanent staff during November, followed closely by hotels and catering. The softest rise in permanent vacancies was seen in the retail sector.

Temporary vacancies rose in November, led by hospitality, while retail recorded the slowest increase in short-term vacancies.

The current trajectory is unsustainable in the long run for businesses and the wider economic recovery” – Claire Warnes, KPMG UK

Claire Warnes, head of education, skills and productivity at KPMG UK, said: “The pace of demand for workers is running far faster than supply can keep up with, which is draining an already diminished pool of available talent and feeding into inflationary pressures.

“The current trajectory is unsustainable in the long run for businesses and the wider economic recovery. The priority must be to replenish the workforce and ensure businesses can access the talent they need.”

It was too early to predict what the effect of the Omicron Covid variant would be on the labour market, said Neil Carberry, chief executive of the REC, adding: “December may be slower than previous months as its [Omicron’s] effects feed through. Hospitality will be in the forefront of any changes as we approach the festive season, of course, and the impact of high inflation will also be felt as purses tighten in January.”

The Robert Walters study – part of its 2022 salary guide – found that vacancies within the accounting sector had reverted to 2019 levels, however the increase this year has been primarily from outside the big four accounting firms. In 2019 about 77% of all accountancy vacancies come from the big four, whereas in 2021 (year to date) this has dropped to 69%.

In professional services, there was particularly strong demand for roles around with vacancies up 30% on 2019 – as the government continues to discuss changing taxes to help plug rising costs around Covid and social care. Financial services roles continue to be at record levels – with vacancies up by 76% on average since 2020, and by 30% when compared with 2019 levels.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The legal sector has also had a record year, the analysis revealed, with hiring having already surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels by 23%, with one month left on the year.

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch first worked for Personnel Today magazine in the early 1990s as a sub editor. He rejoined Personnel Today as a writer in 2017, covering all aspects of HR but with a special interest in diversity, social mobility and industrial relations. He has ventured beyond the HR realm to work as a freelance writer and production editor in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He is also the author of KentWalksNearLondon. Adam first became interested in industrial relations after witnessing an exchange between Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board chairman Ian McGregor in 1984, while working as a temp in facilities at the NCB, carrying extra chairs into a conference room!

previous post
Sickness and pandemic driving more over-50s out of work
next post
CPD activities: Supporting neurodiversity in the workplace

You may also like

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

So what does the election of a new...

9 May 2025

Rumours during recruitment: how should HR respond?

9 May 2025

Teacher apprenticeship route to be tied to school...

9 May 2025

British Steel to resume recruitment

8 May 2025

M&S pauses hiring as it deals with cyber...

2 May 2025

Top 10 HR questions April 2025: increases to...

2 May 2025

Leading with honest feedback: A responsibility in recruitment

24 Apr 2025

Succession planning now ‘more of a priority than...

24 Apr 2025

Number of SMEs hiring staff in decline

10 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+