Jobs outlook June - first signs of potential optimism in the jobs market?

It appears that there’s mixed opinion on what the UK job market is doing at present, with some sectors faring better than others. Unemployment is certainly up, however we may have passed the sharpest rise.

A recent survey undertaken for the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) by Savanta ComRes states that the UK economy improved by 17% between early May and June. On the job front we’re now turning away from the record lows we had in Spring.
They also state that employers hiring intentions have improved in the first half of June with more employers planning to expand their workforce rather than reduce it over the next three months. Our personal experience here would cautiously agree with this; over the last couple of weeks we’ve had an increase in new job requirements coming in, but also greater candidate availability in construction, while engineering still feels to be a candidate-short market.

The survey has also stated that there has been a UK-wide increase in jobs being posted – timings do coincide with the relaxing of the lockdown and people going back to work, and normal activity is starting to resume. If it continues like this then it’s likely that employer confidence will grow further and they will be looking to hire.

This process of moving back to normal working will also be vital both for making sure that furloughed workers are able to return to their jobs, and limiting the spike in unemployment that is likely when CJRS ends. We'll continue to keep you posted on the job outlook over the coming weeks and months and are happy to talk to anyone about their individual circumstances - just get in touch.