South: Job vacancies show strongest rise in 15 years, says REC / KPMG report

A report from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG shows that vacancies are rising at their strongest rate in over 15 years. 

The strongest growth was signalled for permanent workers in the private sector, although temporary/contract staff also posted a marked increase.

According to recruitment franchise business Select Appointments the report offers the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour market as it is based on original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies.

David Buist, director of franchise development, said: “These findings are very welcome. They are good for the UK economy and bode well for the recruitment consultancy sector. What’s more they reflect the growing air of optimism in the business world as we enter 2014.

“The trend is in line with Select’s expansion plans. We aim to grow the number of franchisee owned offices in the UK from 27 to 100 within the next five years as we believe there is going to be growing demand for high-quality recruitment services.”

A further encouraging study, from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), has found that 11% of small businesses expect to employ more people in the first three months of 2014, against 7% saying they expect staff numbers to decrease. Moreover, one in 10 businesses report running above capacity, while a third are running at capacity suggesting increased demand for their services and products. Both are the highest figures ever recorded in the study.