South West interim and contract jobs increase surpasses the capital as vacancies across the regions grow

RA Now

England’s regions are catching up with the capital in interim and contract employment recovery, figures show.

In the past three months several areas of the UK have mirrored – and in the case of the South West outperformed – London’s employment growth, driven by an upturn in demand for skilled professionals across both the private and public sectors, the Venn Index shows.

Recruitment levels in the South West have increased 32% since the second quarter of 2013, compared with rises of 28% quarter on quarter in London, the report from the Venn Group stated.

The Midlands and Central and East are also showing promising signs of recovery, up 17% and 16% respectively. Although the North East is slightly behind with a 1.7% increase on last quarter, the year on year picture for the region looks healthy, with hiring up 24%.

Across the Pennines, the North West’s vacancies are down by 10% quarter on quarter, year on year the figures show a more robust 5.1% increase.

The growth can be largely attributed to the public sector – vacancy numbers for public sector roles rose by 45% between quarter two and quarter three 2013, representing a 10% increase when compared to the same period last year. Budgets within the NHS have now been reset following the transition from Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

The private sector is also experiencing growth, particularly in industry. There is an increase in demand for engineers and accounting and IT professionals in BAE Systems, GKN and Rolls Royce in the South West, for example.

Correspondingly, in the Midlands manufacturing and engineering are leading a boost in activity, with an increase in roles both in major car plants and in smaller firms that supply parts and services to the industry.

Venn Group’s national accounts manager, Jodie Finn, pointed to widespread fears that last year’s abolition of the nine Regional Development Agencies, which were tasked with promoting regional employment and business, could damage employment outside London. “Our statistics tell a different story,” she added.

“We’re seeing some tangible evidence of recovery all over the UK, driven by various factors, from positive sentiment in the capital, to a thriving aerospace industry in the South West and the significant 30% boost in exports from the West Midlands.

“In light of these positive signs, and the fact that the public sector continues to flourish, we foresee contract and interim employment levels continuing to rise as we approach the New Year and into 2014,” she added.