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- Jo Faragher
The number of jobs available in sectors such as finance and IT has dropped since the beginning of the year, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).
In contrast to a further fall in unemployment revealed in the latest set of figures from the Office for National Statistics, APSCO’s latest data shows the number of permanent vacancies and placements in professional sectors to be down by 1%. [http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_297429.pdf?format=contrast]
However, there were some signs of stabilisation in the temporary and contract market, where vacancies and placements showed a small increase of 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
Year on year, permanent vacancies were down by almost 8%, while temporary placements were up by 4.5%, APSCo found.
Regionally, London and the South East recorded the biggest falls in permanent vacancies (4%), while regions outside the capital reported slight increases.
Commenting on the figures, Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo said: “While one swallow does not make a summer, this latest data does seem to suggest a slight thawing of the bleak conditions experienced by professional job seekers over recent years.”
She added that it was important to recognise that temporary placements were often longer term contract and project work, offering not only a viable alternative to those seeking permanent employment but flexibility to both employers and employees.
John Nurthen from Staffing Industry Analysts, which compiles the data on behalf of APSCo, said: “Once again, we have seen slower demand for full-time personnel being counterbalanced by increased usage of temporary and contract workers across all professional job categories.”
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