Member Article

Job availability across the North East up 19%

Venn Group Contract Recruitment Index

April 2015

“Monitoring contractor demand across the North East”

Contract Recruitment Index highlights

• There was a 19% increase in jobs month-on-month Legal and financial sectors driving employment boom
• Decline in rates of 6% across the region month-on-month

Overall decline in job vacancies due to election uncertainty

The April 2015 North East Recruitment Index recorded a 19% month-on-month increase in job availability with 2,706 vacancies advertised, compared to 2,100 in February 2015.

Stan Murray Hession, Associate Director of Venn Group, commented:

“The North East has had an unequivocally strong start to the year, with impressive increases in employment activity and strong sector growth. In particular, the legal sector is experiencing a boom and many firms are struggling to find contracting talent to fill the amount of positions that are opening up. As a result, contractors such as conveyancing locums are being booked up to six months in advance of vacancies arising, a trend that hasn’t been seen for at least six years.

There has also been unprecedented demand for financial professionals, attributable partly to the financial year end which saw a sharp incline of accountancy positions emerge from sectors as varied as leisure to business services.“

Contractors’ rates decline due to record low inflation in March 2015

The average rate for those securing jobs in February 2015 was 6% lower than those recorded in January 2015, with contractors now receiving an average of £15 per hour across the region. This can be attributed, in part, to last month’s record low inflation which has affected rates both across the region and across the UK.

Stan Murray Hession continued:

“The region looks set to benefit from a number of projects in the coming months, particularly Generation NE, a collaboration of six business advisors and five local authorities intending to support the community’s SMEs by greatly increasing employment opportunities for up to 2,000 17 to 24 year olds. A £4.5m investment has been made into the scheme which will target both organisations and individuals and champion the use of the younger workforce within business. With the region working to maximise its potential workforce, the future looks bright for the North East.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Venn Group is the UK’s only specialist contract recruiter for organisations within the public and private sectors.

www.venngroup.com

Methodology

The Recruitment Index uses Venn Group’s own weekly records of new contract job vacancies. Statistics for the report are derived using Venn Group’s market share across each geographic region to ensure an accurate barometer of recruitment activity is recorded.

For further information please contact Stephanie King at BlueSky PR on 01582790700 or 07760208532

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