The high number of vacancies and low competition for jobs has resulted in the number of vacancies across the UK being at its highest level since November 2015, which is up 2% year-on-year, with 89,600 of the current 1.2 million vacancies coming from the accounting sector
According to the latest UK Job Market Report from Adzuna.co.uk there are currently only 0.44 jobseekers for every vacancy.
Salaries – now sitting at £32,678 – have also been showing signs of recovery, increasing month-on-month since the start of 2017.
Advertised wages remain behind 2016 levels due to the recent increases in National Living Wage form £7.20 to £7.50. Admin (64%), catering (59%) and customer service (71%) are the sectors that the increase has affected most significantly.
Currently there are only 7,835 roles being advertised offering top salaries of over £100,000 – representing less than 1% of all vacancies.
Total advertised vacancies and UK salary
| April 2017 | March 2017 | Monthly change | Annual change from April 2016 | |
| UK vacancies | 1,179,586 | 1,156,701 | 2% | 2% |
| Jobseekers per vacancy | 0.44 | 0.45 | 2.2% | -18.5% |
| Average advertised UK salary | £32,678 | £32,525 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said: ‘With salaries up, vacancies at their highest levels in seven months, and fewer people competing for jobs, it’s an employment paradise for jobseekers. This means less of a strain on disposable incomes as jobseekers and employees have more room to manoeuvre in terms of their purchasing power.
‘However, with the general election fast approaching, improvements in the labour market shouldn’t be taken as given just yet. Despite promising month-on-month wage growth, we still have a way to go to make up lost ground on advertised earnings.’
The travel sector is among the best performing sector in terms of annual salary growth, rising by 2.4% to stand at £25,865 with 5,703.
Best-performing jobs sectors in the UK – annual salaries
Job Sector | Average salary | Salary % 12 Month Change | Total Vacancies |
HR & Recruitment Jobs | £32,821 | 7.2% | 14,599 |
Graduate Jobs | £24,361 | 4.5% | 16,901 |
Travel Jobs | £25,865 | 2.4% | 5,703 |
Property Jobs | £32,470 | 1.8% | 11,174 |
Teaching Jobs | £26,972 | 1.5% | 57,039 |
