Online recruitment is on the up according to Monster’s Employment Index for December.
The index closed the year on a 12 month high, posting a reading of 120, a rise of four points on the November figure.
Sectors such as finance, legal, HR and manufacturing all recorded an upsurge in the number of job opportunities in December. However, demand remained static for the creative and design sectors such as engineering, architecture and construction. ‘Professional’ positions witnessed their most dramatic decline year-on-year, reporting a drop of 27%.
Regionally, Wales witnessed the largest upturn with demand now higher than in the corresponding period last year. Scotland and London also saw marked improvements. In fact Northern Ireland was the only region to report a decline in December.
The Monster Index monitors 21 sectors and 15 of those reported increases in web-based recruitment during December. Job vacancies rose by eight points in the maintenance, manufacturing and production sectors as more and more employers used web 2.0 and social media to increase their internet job advertising. This shows a change in attitude as these industries have traditionally been less inclined to use the internet for recruitment purposes.
The results suggest that the UK recruitment market is finally emerging ahead of its continental counterparts. This is borne out by the results of the Monster Employment Index for Europe which, at 100 points in December, was unchanged from the previous month.
Across Europe as a whole, December saw a sharp rise in demand for legal positions, while sales and service personnel witnessed their largest gain month on month among occupational groups.
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