South West among the best for jobseekers

The second quarter of 2014 has seen a boost of confidence within the jobs market in the South West with hiring intentions of plus 9% according to Manpower, the global leader in contingent and permanent recruitment workforce solutions. This is a jump of five percentage points from the first quarter.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,112 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK Government.

The national Seasonally Adjusted Net Employment Outlook of +6% indicates that the jobs market is marginally up on the first quarter of 2014 when the outlook was +5%.

Overall the UK jobs market has reached a turning point, with the employers we have interviewed in every single sector reporting positive hiring plans, even in construction which was one of the sectors hardest hit by the recession but has really bounced back.

“We are delighted to report a positive picture for the South West this quarter,” said Andrew Shellard, operations manager at Manpower.

“This has translated to an increase in the permanent roles available as employers demonstrate more confidence in their long term futures. It has been particularly noticeable in Plymouth where the pipeline of jobs is strong and we expect this trend to continue.
“At Manpower, we’re even expanding our own operations in the South West, with the opening of a new regional hub in Bristol.

“Top of employers’ wish-lists at the moment are candidates with good CVs boasting administration and sales skills.

“Employers are finding it difficult to source experienced candidates with these specialist skills and there is competition as candidates are attending more interviews to make sure they end up with the right job.

“We are also seeing this requirement for a strong skillset in engineering, where employers have relied on us to help them overcome difficulties in filling high-spec technical roles due to a skills shortage within the area. CNC programmers and operators are particularly in demand in this industry.”

The overall regional perspective for the second quarter for 2014 is striking, with London standing in line with the overall national picture with an outlook of +5% and the brightest spots on our survey coming from the places you’d least expect them such as the North East (+11%) and Wales (+12%). The worst performing least optimistic forecast region this time round is reported by employers in Northern Ireland. With a score of -4% it is the only part of the United Kingdom which does not indicate positive hiring intentions for the second quarter of 2014.

Whilst UK businesses of all sizes are hiring, what is particularly interesting this quarter is the strong message emanating from large firms. Big businesses are more optimistic now (+17%) than at any time in the last decade. ManpowerGroup UK Managing Director Mark Cahill says: “There are long term benefits to be gained from big business hiring, such as investment in training, graduate recruitment schemes and apprenticeships, which will benefit both job seekers and their future employers.

"After a sustained period of record youth unemployment, 2014 is promising to be the best year for young people and graduates in a long time.

"At last we can confidently say that the jobs market is starting to fire on all cylinders.”