Umbrella contractors may be interested to learn that the Reed Job Index ended 2011 with 17% more job vacancies than the year before.
However, the Job Index ended the year on 121 after falling significantly in December. In November the Index registered 133, a slight increase on the previous month’s 129.
Not surprisingly in light of the government’s spending cuts, the public sector registered the least opportunities. The Index dropped to 36 in December, down from 42 in the comparable month of 2010.
Vacancies in hospitality and catering registered a month-on-month increase of 9 points, whilst opportunities in purchasing and safety & security both rose by 1 point. The engineering sector registered the most significant year-on-year increase – up by 64 points. IT and telecoms came in second with a rise of 50. The biggest losers were banking at -41 and education at -10.
The MD of reed.co.uk, Martin Warnes, said the results are particularly striking when you consider the economic turmoil of recent months. Recruitment activity traditionally drops off in December but it is significant that the number of available opportunities still managed to end the year 17% higher than in 2010.
He went on to point out that skilled technical staff in sectors such as engineering have been much in demand, as have those with skills in IT and telecommunications. IT contractors may be able to take solace from these figures and look forward to a bright future in 2012.
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