Employment survey reveals a buoyant jobs market in the South West

Employers in the South West are entering the new year buoyed by optimism, according to Manpower, the global leader in contingent and permanent recruitment workforce solutions.

The South West’s Employment Outlook has leapt by 19 percentage points after a brief foray into negative territory last quarter, propelling it towards the top of the regional leaderboard.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,103 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK government.

“We said last quarter that we were not too worried about the long term health of the jobs market in the South West and this quarter’s return to positive territory has proved us right,” says Andrew Shellard, Operations Manager at Manpower UK.

“Whereas last quarter we saw seasonality having a disproportionate impact on the region’s Outlook, as we enter 2015 we are seeing employers take a longer term view as permanent roles are increasing across the region, particularly full time positions. Despite the numerous opportunities available, the candidates who are really in the driving seat when it comes to choosing roles and negotiating salaries are those who can offer in-demand skills. The region as a whole is experiencing a skills shortage, but this is particularly pertinent within the contact centre and telesales markets, as well as in manufacturing and administration.”

“Looking at the region’s biggest cities, the appetite for hiring is evident across the board. Bristol has the healthiest jobs market, closely followed by Exeter and then Plymouth.

Employers in Bristol are expressing a need for candidates in the telesales and contact centre fields as well as for people with manufacturing experience. Bristol is a candidate’s market at the minute, and skilled applicants are using their strong position to drive up their salary and other benefits.”

“Sales roles in Exeter can be particularly lucrative, as many of the positions are senior roles and companies are prepared to pay for good and proven salespeople. We are seeing more applications from mature candidates, who are keen to use their experience to cash in on the generous packages attached to some of these senior roles.”

“Plymouth is a city with a need for manufacturing workers, and candidates who possess soldering, wiring and looming experience can secure well-paid jobs at some of the area’s top manufacturers. The NHS is also a big recruiter in and around Plymouth and many of the roles available are administrative positions where candidates need to demonstrate both skills and experience.”
                                      
The national picture in early 2015 is positive, following 2014’s jobs bonanza, when we saw the highest level of job creation in 40 years. The national Seasonally Adjusted Net Employment indicates that, with an Outlook of +7%, 2015 will begin even more optimistically than the fourth quarter of 2014, when the Outlook was +6%.

Britain’s biggest companies are set to lead the job creation charge in early 2015 and, with an Outlook of +21%, more of the UK’s largest employers are planning to take on staff than at any point in the last decade. Many big businesses built up large cash reserves in the downturn. Now that confidence is returning they have money to invest in infrastructure and growing their workforces. The run up to Christmas has seen some of the UK’s biggest and best-known companies taking on staff in their thousands as they prepare for the seasonal rush. One good example is Royal Mail which is recruiting 19,000 extra workers to deliver the nation’s Christmas gifts.

Across the regions, as well as the South West’s optimistic Outlook, there is also a marked positive increase in the North East, which boasts the brightest Outlook among the regions, at +16%, its best showing for seven years. Away from these highflying regions there is a more mixed picture across the UK. Wales (+4%) rose by three points but remains below the national average and Northern Ireland is the only region in negative territory, with its Outlook falling back down to -4% after a surprise leap into positive numbers last quarter.