South West top of the jobs leaderboard

The jobs market continues to thrive in the South West, according to Manpower, the world’s workforce experts. With an Outlook of +10%, hiring intentions in the region remain well above the national average of +7%.

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.

“We are very pleased to see job prospects in the South West continue to be in firmly positive territory for the quarter ahead. Looking across the region’s biggest cities, the appetite for hiring is evident across the board.” says Krissie Davies, Operations Director at Manpower UK. “The Outlook this quarter has been driven by several factors, including increasing confidence in the engineering and financial sectors. Plymouth is seeing a sharp rise in demand for CNC engineers both in programming and operation, while customer service opportunities relating to PPI are driving lots of opportunities in Bristol. Exeter’s recycling and motor trade industries are also delivering good growth.”

“Permanent opportunities are now on the rise as employers gradually begin to phase out temporary-to-permanent roles in a bid to secure stronger commitment and loyalty from their employees. The scarcity of good candidates means that employers are having to adjust their expectations and increase the salaries they’re offering. We’re advising both employers and candidates to consider the entire package, as additional benefits, such as flexible working, can amount to a strong differentiator. A few of the region’s employers are looking at how they can offer more remote working opportunities to provide employees with greater flexibility, but are first struggling to overcome data security concerns. However, a greater emphasis on productivity, rather than a narrow focus on hours worked, could really help employers to snap up the best candidates ahead of others.”

Nationally, hiring intentions among Britain’s employers in the first half of 2016 are at their strongest level since 2007. The national seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook is at +7% for the second consecutive quarter, a start to the year not seen for nearly a decade. But there are questions about whether this demand for talent can be fulfilled if Britain votes to leave the European Union.

James Hick, ManpowerGroup Solutions Managing Director: “British businesses continue to create the job opportunities that have helped get Britain back to work since the 2008 financial crisis. But while there’s clearly the demand for workers, we also need to protect the supply of talent. Employers of all shapes and sizes rely on the free movement of people inside Europe to find the skills they need. The latest employment statistics showed that of the 521,000 jobs created in the last 12 months, 215,000 of these were filled by people from elsewhere in the EU. Let’s be realistic: we simply won’t be able to replace overnight the skills these people bring to the UK if we leave the EU, and it’s our economy that will suffer. Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2006 – it’s unrealistic to suggest there’s enough slack in the labour market out there to fill these jobs.”

The West Midlands (+9%), the East (+10%) and London (+10%), all stand above the national average. The South East (+5%) and the East Midlands (+7%) both report falls from Q1 2016. The Outlooks in Wales (+3%) and Scotland (+6%) are in positive territory, while Northern Ireland reports its most positive outlook since 2007, at +8%. The picture in the north of England is mixed, with the North East (+6%) and North West (+2%) below the national average, while Yorkshire & the Humber matches the national average at +7%.