Employer demand drops 3% in March, as Reed Job Index reads 102
06 April 2010
Demand from UK employers for new workers fell back overall in March, according to the Reed Job Index published today (Tuesday 6 April 2010). The number of new job opportunities fell by 3 Index points (3%) to give a Reed Job Index reading of 102 in March compared with February’s high of 105. However, it is still 2 points above December last year when the Index baseline was first set at 100.
In contrast, demand for key business services professionals across finance, general insurance and marketing rose in March. Employer demand for staff in these career sectors increased by 5 Index points (4%) compared to February, indicating growing confidence in this pre-recessionary heartland of the British economy.
Each month the Reed Job Index tracks the number of new job opportunities on offer compared to the previous month and against a baseline of 100 set in December last year. The Reed Job Index is based on data from the UK’s largest job board, reed.co.uk, which every day lists over 90,000 job opportunities from 8,000 recruiters across 37 career sectors throughout the UK.
However demand remained high for staff across the business services sector. New vacancy numbers rose most for Qualified Accountants, General Insurance plus Strategy and Consultancy professionals, with increased demand for Marketing and PR, and Banking staff close behind. Demand fell most for Engineering, Scientific, and Manufacturing staff, demonstrating the continued weakness of these sectors in spite of the extra government support for them announced in last month’s Budget.
At the same time, the Public Sector Reed Index figure stands at 79, with demand for new staff lower in this sector than any other – although it has risen slightly above February’s low of 76.
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