Recruitment
Data from the monthly KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs on the availability and recruitment of both permanent and temporary staff.
Headline figures
Availability of candidates (compared with previous month):
- Permanent staff: 42.1 (July 2019)
- Temporary/contract staff: 47.4 (July 2019)
Next release date: 6 September 2019
Commentary
The overall availability of workers to fill permanent and temporary vacancies declined in July 2019, as has been the case in each month since May 2013, according to the latest KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs, produced by IHS Markit on behalf of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).
The seasonally adjusted indexes - based on a scale where 50 indicates no change, anything above 50 indicates a rise on the previous month and anything below 50 a fall - show that:
- In July 2019 there was a further reduction in the availability of permanent staff. The seasonally adjusted index stands at 42.1 for July compared with 38.5 in June. The number of candidates available for temporary work declined further across the UK during July. The index stands at 47.4 in July, compared with 43.6 in June (see table).
- The number of people placed in permanent jobs by recruitment consultancies in July declined but at a softer pace. The index stands at 49.7 in July compared with 48.7 in June. Recruitment consultancies saw another rise in temporary billings in July. The index stands at 50.3 in July compared with 50.8 in June.
- Average starting salaries for permanent staff rose for the eighty-seventh consecutive month in July. The index stands at 58.8 compared with 59.1 in June. Temporary/contract pay rates rose more slowly in July, with the index standing at 57.3 compared with 59.3 in June.
REC chief executive, Neil Carberry, said: "Our flexible jobs market remains a key strength for the UK as we navigate an uncertain time. While we are seeing a concerning weaker trend in permanent placements bed in, the rate of change is slow, employment rates are high and starting salaries are growing."
Table 1: Availability of candidates to fill vacancies (compared with previous month), February to July 2019
| Permanent staff1 | Temporary/contract staff1 | |
|---|---|---|
1. Figures represent a seasonally adjusted index where 50 means no change, above 50 means a rise and below 50 means a fall on the previous month. The further above or below 50, the stronger or weaker the rate of growth. Source: KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs, July 2019. |
||
| February 2019 | 38.5 | 41.8 |
| March | 37.8 | 44.2 |
| April | 39.0 | 44.4 |
| May | 37.3 | 42.8 |
| June | 38.5 | 43.6 |
| July | 42.1 | 47.4 |
