Vacancies increased for the 14th month in a row in March and at the quickest rate since last September, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG. However, their latest survey of 400 recruitment agencies indicated that a shortage of candidates was restricting the ability of businesses to grow.
According to the report, pay offered for permanent and temporary staff increased last month.
Neil Carberry, chief executive of the confederation, said: “Starting salaries for permanent staff are
growing at a new record pace, partially due to demand for staff accelerating and partially as firms
increase pay for all staff in the face of rising prices. He also said that “record Covid infection levels are also pushing up demand for temporary workers, particularly in blue-collar and hospitality sectors, underpinning the ability of temps to seek higher rates”.
According to KPMG’s Claire Warnes “There’s no end in sight to the deep-seated workforce challenges facing the UK economy. Once again this month, job vacancies are increasing while there are simply not enough candidates in all sectors to fill them. With fewer EU workers, the effects of the pandemic, the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine and cost-of-living pressures, many employers will continue to struggle to hire the talent and access the skills they need.”
