Contractors may be interested to learn that the REC and KPMG have now introduced a regional Report on Jobs.
We’re used to reading the findings of the UK Report on Jobs, but this new move takes things a step further and splits England into 4 regional areas; London, the south of England, the North of England and the Midlands.
The first edition of the regional Report showed that permanent placements in February increased across three out of the four regions; London being the exception. Permanent staff in the Midlands and the South also received salary increases, whilst their counterparts in London and the North were not so lucky.
Billings for contractors decreased across all regions, although the sharpest decline was again in London. A number of respondents blamed the fall on the introduction of AWR.
Recruiters said there was an increase in the number of job vacancies in all areas except London last month. The Midlands only saw a marginal increase, but growth was better in the North and the South.
Temporary staff saw their hourly rates increase across all regions, with the largest rises coming in the Midlands. In the other regions, rate increases were modest and under long-run trends.
All areas witnessed an increased level of candidate availability last month with the North leading the way for both temporary and permanent staff.
Tom Hadley from the REC said that positive signs are emerging in the jobs market in most regions. The Capital does not appear to be producing additional permanent jobs but this could be because a high percentage of firms operate in financial services and hospitality, sectors that have been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn.
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Image: Geological map by ☺ Lee J Haywood
