Record High Job Vacancies in UK in Q3 2021 - Summary

Vacancies and jobs in the uk oct 2021

Read and summarize the following details

Vacancies and jobs in the uk oct 2021

• The number of job vacancies in July to September 2021 was a record high of 1,102,000 - an increase of 318,000 from its pre-pandemic January to March 2020 level; this was the second consecutive month the three-month average has risen over one million.
  
  
• July to September 2021 saw continued growth across the majority of sectors with 12 of the 18 categories displaying a record number of vacancies; the largest quarterly increase was seen in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, which was up 35,000 (32.4%)
  
  
• Across the majority of industry sectors the rate of growth in vacancies began to slow down; vacancies rose by 239,000 (27.7%) in July to September 2021, down from 242,000 (38.9%) last quarter.
  
  
• In July to September 2021, all industry sectors are above or equal to their January to March 2020 pre-pandemic levels with accommodation and food service activities increasing the most, by nearly 50,000 (59%).
• All industry size bands displayed a record number of vacancies in July to September 2021.

In July to September 2021, the estimated number of vacancies recorded was at its highest level since records began, with the majority of industries growing on the quarter. In the same period there were 3.7 vacancies for every 100 employee jobs, also a record high. 

The headline vacancy estimates are based on three-month averages, which naturally involve some time lag.

The majority of industries saw quarterly growth. The fastest rate of growth was seen in transport and storage, which grew by 56.1% (18,500).

While the rate of vacancy growth has slowed recently, the number of vacancies is still escalating across most industries. The largest increase in vacancy numbers was in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, which grew by 35,100 (32.4%). Other industries also saw large increases in vacancy numbers, namely accommodation and food service activities (24,600), professional, scientific and technical activities (24,400) and manufacturing (20,300). The latter two industries, alongside 10 others, posted a record number of vacancies in July to September 2021.

Recent ONS analysis shows that the high number of vacancies for some sectors coincided with vacancies being more difficult to fill than usual. This analysis also explores how the reasons for these difficulties varied by sector, considering factors such as the age and nationality of applicants.

July to September 2021 saw all industries above or equal to their January to March 2020 pre-pandemic levels, with the largest increase in accommodation and food service activities up by 49,700 vacancies. Only mining and quarrying remained at its January to March 2020 pre-pandemic level.

Reinforcing the growth in vacancies, alongside the difficulty in filling positions, the current ratio of 3.7 vacancies per 100 employee jobs is the highest on record, with accommodation and food service activities the industry with the highest ratio at 5.9.

The signs of recovery are strong across all of the industry size bands with each one displaying record highs in July to September 2021.

The estimated number of workforce jobs for June 2021 shows a fall of 856,000 compared with pre-pandemic December 2019. Over the same period vacancies increased by 59,000, giving a combined fall in labour demand of a little under 800,000. Despite this fall in labour demand, there was a quarterly increase in the employment rate in the period April to June 2021.

The June 2021 workforce jobs figures help to signify a recovery, being up 293,000 from March 2021, the largest quarterly increase since March 2014. This is alongside vacancies, which increased 242,000 over the same period.