Member Article

Migration to the suburbs boosts local job market

Employment levels rose significantly in the Herts, Beds and Bucks area in 2014, partly as a result of the ongoing property boom that is taking place in the region.

The latest employment trends analysis from Venn Group, the contract recruitment specialists, found that vacancies have risen by 17.8% year-on-year. Reports suggest that much of this activity has been driven by an increasing demand for affordable housing which is prompting buyers to look outside of London. As a result, the Northern Home Counties area has benefitted and professionals in a range of sectors are now highly sought after by firms. This is in line with the completion of a local growth deal which aims to create at least 3,000 jobs and 4,000 new homes by 2021 and will pay for 10 transport, infrastructure and skills projects in the area.

Avtar Singh, Venn Group’s Director of Operations in the region commented on the findings.

“The growing numbers of individuals and families upping sticks and looking to purchase property in the region is certainly behind at least some of the job growth. This increased investment in Herts, Beds and Bucks property is adding funds to the coffers of local businesses which are now looking to expand. The majority of demand has been seen, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the housing sector with management level professionals particularly sought after at the moment.”

“We’ve also noted a growing requirement for healthcare professionals, which is potentially down to the number of people migrating to the region. A rising population means that authorities require greater numbers of health workers to ensure that high standards are maintained and this is largely behind the demand for such specialists. At the moment, we’ve noted that professionals with experience of working in administrative or communications roles in the sector are able to walk into jobs and this demand can be expected to continue well into 2015.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Venn Group .