SW jobs optimism among best in UK

The jobs market continues to thrive in the South West, according to Manpower, the world’s workforce experts. With an Outlook of +9%, a two point increase on last quarter, hiring intentions in the region stand well above the national average of +6%.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,100 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.

“It’s really encouraging to see job prospects in the South West remain in firmly positive territory for the quarter ahead,” says Krissie Davies, Operations Director at Manpower UK. “We are seeing job opportunities across the region and particular demand within the engineering, customer service, financial services and utilities sectors. In those hotspots, employers need to re-evaluate their recruitment process to make hiring quicker and make sure they are snapping up the best candidates ahead of others.”

“Bristol’s jobs market is going from strength to strength and in particular employers are crying out for those with experience in the engineering and customer service sectors. This is having an impact on salaries in Bristol as the best candidates often have the luxury of multiple offers, meaning that employers have to make sure that the pay and benefits they have on offer are commensurate with the talent they are seeking. Employers are increasingly coming to us to conduct salary benchmarking exercises.”

“In Plymouth, those with soldering skills are particularly prized, and experienced candidates with this skillset can command strong salaries and generous employee benefits. However, there is a distinct lack of suitable candidates and we would encourage anyone looking for a trade to consider the career benefits of learning soldering skills.”

Going into the third quarter of 2015, the national Seasonally Adjusted Net Employment Outlook remains at +6% for the fourth successive quarter. While our research shows that demand for staff remains strong, and employment stands at a 40-year record high, a shortage of candidates means many employers are struggling to fill the vacancies. ManpowerGroup has identified an acute talent shortage that is jeopardising the Government’s target to create 2 million jobs over the next five years.

The supply problem is most acute in the north of England.  Jobs optimism in the North West and North East stand above the national average (+7% and +10% respectively), but a rapidly worsening skills shortage means northern employers can’t fill vacant roles.

The labour supply problem is also apparent in the health sector. James Hick, ManpowerGroup Solutions UK Managing Director, adds: “David Cameron has pledged to recruit 5,000 new GPs to extend surgery opening hours. That will improve care for millions, but it’s hard to see where  those doctors will come from. As a major recruiter of GPs, we see that there are not enough homegrown new clinicians.”

Whilst the north of England has a problem finding candidates to fill all the available roles, over the border in Scotland, the problem is lack of demand. With a score of 0%, Scotland is flatlining when it comes to job creation and is the worst-performing part of the UK.

In the rest of the country, the jobs market looks positive going into the third quarter. London and the East Midlands are particularly positive, at +9%. Wales (+8%), the North West (+7%) and the East (+7%) also beat the national average, while the West Midlands (+5%), the South East (+4%), Yorkshire and Humberside (+3%) and Northern Ireland (+2%) also record optimistic Outlooks.