- Outlook of +9% for the region
- However, candidate shortages make roles hard to fill
- Surge in over 50s seeking manufacturing opportunities
Employers in the East of England are the most likely to hire in the country for the second consecutive quarter, according to ManpowerGroup, the world’s workforce experts. This is the tenth consecutive quarter when hiring intentions in the region have outperformed the national average Employment Outlook.
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,119 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.
Simon Edwards, Operations Director at Manpower said: “The East of England looks set to continue its hiring boom over the next three months. Hiring in the region has been buoyant for so long that parts of the region have reached zero unemployment, meaning there is a severe lack of available candidates and many roles are proving tricky to fill.
“However, the hiring outlook isn’t universally positive. The market in Peterborough is more cautious with many local organisations making cutbacks, but marketing, digital and technology firms have bucked this local trend. The need for tech-savvy workers remains high and employers are making more use of online communities like Stack Overflow to source developers and programmers with the right talent.
“It’s a particularly tough market for graduates and students, as employers look to recruit people with at least two years of experience. Graduates are also facing more competition from older candidates looking to upskill and fill roles that are in highest demand. We have seen a significant rise in candidates in the over 50s age bracket applying for manufacturing roles, such as machine operation and manufacturing assembly. Now people are working for longer, candidates in this age group are keen to move around and widen their experience.”
Nationally, private sector hiring has dropped to its weakest level since Q1 2014. Employers in six of the nine sectors surveyed reported a falling Outlook. The overall Net Employment Outlook, which includes both public and private sector employers, has dropped two points to +5%.
Mark Cahill, ManpowerGroup UK Managing Director: “The impending trigger of Article 50 is clearly affecting confidence in the jobs market. The private sector plans to hire at its slowest rate since 2014 (+4%), with only construction, manufacturing and transport and communications planning to hire at previous levels. The employment rate is at its highest level since records began in 1971, but if you lift the bonnet to look at the engine of the economy, job creation has slowed and employers are becoming more cautious. The companies which have powered Britain’s economy through the immediate post-referendum period are easing off the gas.”
All but five regions report falling Outlooks for the coming three months compared to the previous quarter. The biggest fallers are the two strongest Remain-supporting areas of the UK: Scotland, down 11 points to -3% and London, down five points to +3%. The West Midlands, the South West and Yorkshire & the Humber all fell three points to +5%. While the North East and South East are both down one point to +5% and +4%, respectively. Northern Ireland and the North West are the only risers, both up three points to +7% and +6%, respectively. Two other regions report unchanged Outlooks: the East Midlands (+8%) and Wales (+2%).
A ‘Net Employment Outlook’ is calculated by subtracting those employers who plan to reduce staffing levels from those who plan to hire staff. A positive result indicates that more employers plan to increase rather than decrease staffing levels; a negative result reflects the opposite. [% increase - % decrease]
Commentary and full details on every sector and region can be found in the survey report at manpowergroup.co.uk/meos, or by calling the Press Office on 0207 404 5959/ [email protected]
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