Permanent placements in July 2022 fell at their quickest rate since June 2020

The candidate pool available to employers in the UK appears to be growing but today’s ‘UK Report on Jobs’ by KPMG and REC, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, anecdotal evidence suggests companies are preferring more flexible temporary staffing arrangements amid the subdued economic outlook.   

The report shows permanent placements in July 2022 fell at their quickest rate since June 2020.

Speaking about the UK job market, Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, said: “The jobs market overall remains fairly robust, with vacancies and pay still rising and unemployment low but there is a sense in today’s report that the economy will need some growth soon to sustain this positive picture. Permanent hiring has been slowing all year. To some extent this is normalisation as the post-pandemic boom abates – but it is also driven by uncertainty. This is seen in the scale of companies reshaping themselves while hiring in other areas – recruiters report that the quickest rise in labour supply since the pandemic has been driven by an increase in redundancies. But it is also obvious in the way firms are relying on temporary labour to keep things going in uncertain times. Temping keeps people in work when firms are uncertain about the future path of the economy.”

“For jobseekers, the ongoing competition for skilled workers and cost of living pressures are keeping starting salaries high, making it an attractive time to move roles, though they may be cautious about doing so.”

Jobseekers looking for permanent or temporary vacancies in the UK can see all the latest jobs we are hiring for by visiting https://www.firstchoiceuk.com/job-search/