Demand for professional talent up 22%

Nick Elvin

Professional recruitment firms now have 22% more vacancies on their books than this time last year, according to data from APSCo.

The research found that permanent vacancies in all of the trade association’s sectors are increasing, with accounting & finance, and media & marketing up (13% and 16% respectively), while available positions have increased by 42% in engineering and by 23% within IT when compared to the same period in 2013. There was also a rise in levels of pay, with median salaries across all professional sectors increasing marginally.

The rise in vacancies is in keeping with findings from the latest CBI Services Sector Survey, which shows that growth within the professional services sector has reached a seven year high.

Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo said: “Our data once again points to increased confidence amongst employers which is, in turn, having a hugely positive impact on the professional staffing sector.

“However with the CBI Services Sector Survey revealing that the main concern for firms is their ability to find suitable candidates with the requisite skills sets, action must be taken to prevent the ongoing skills shortage being exacerbated. While employers are currently using attractive remuneration packages to entice individuals, this can surely only go on for so long before demand completely outstrips the supply of talent in some sectors.”

The research shows Scotland is bucking the national trend, with online recruitment activity there slowing down. APSCo says this could, in part, be attributed to uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the forthcoming referendum. Engineering and media in particular are seeing decreases in job vacancies (-7% and -10% respectively) indicating that some employers are waiting for the outcome to reassess their hiring strategies.

John Nurthen, director of international research for Staffing Industry Analysts, which compiled the report for APSCo, said: “It is unfortunate that Scotland seems to be missing out on this boom in vacancies and, with oil and gas such an important part of the Scottish economy, it is particularly telling that local engineering vacancies are dropping at the moment.

“While it is not possible to directly attribute this to the impending Scottish referendum, given that Scottish employment is expected to grow by 1.7% this year, according to EY, the decline looks suspiciously coincidental.”