• The number of overall active postings in May 2024 was 1,715,238 – down by 0.7% on the number of postings in April 2024 but still above pre-pandemic levels.
• There were 756,740 new job postings in May 2024 – a 1.1% decline from the month before.
• There is concern that the increase in the national minimum wage has contributed to a fall in the number of vacancies for summer seasonal work. Examples of the biggest falls in demand for summer seasonal occupations (April & May 2024 compared to April & May 2023) include restaurant and catering establishment managers and proprietors (-38.1%), hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors (-44.5%), chefs (-32.5%), leisure and theme park attendants (-34.1%), gardeners and landscape gardeners (-21.9%) and most roles in construction.
• All UK regions saw a steep fall in vacancies for key tourism and event roles in April & May 2024 compared to April & May 2023, except for flatter comparative falls in North East of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Consistent demand for workers has led the UK jobs market to settle at around 1.7 million job adverts, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker.

The total number of active postings has once again stayed at just above 1.7m where it has stayed for months, except for the expected usual dip around Christmas 2023.There were more than 1.7m active job postings in the UK, with 756,740 new job postings in May 2024. The number of active job postings declined by 0.7% compared to April.

There has however been a dramatic fall in demand for summer seasonal workers for many businesses, when compared to the same period in April & May 2023. The UK economy failing to grow in April 2024 according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), political uncertainty, and the increase in the national minimum wage, look to have all contributed to this.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

“The number of active job adverts remains above 1.7m which shows steady demand for workers despite slow progress in the wider economy. Employers are intent on hiring and investing in their own business but are acting more cautiously because of economic and political uncertainty. We expect this to change as inflation stays low and interest rates drop over the summer. 

“Emerging reports from REC members suggest some market improvement from April on, but that a second big increase in the national minimum wage has affected hiring levels in key sectors. We can see some evidence of that drag in the lower summer seasonal hiring demand we report today. Reducing hours or roles while opening for shorter periods are all decisions which firms may feel forced to make in tough times. Support for their businesses to improve growth and productivity – through an industrial strategy that properly focuses on workforce – will be vital after the election.”

Occupations with notable increases in adverts in May 2024 include Stonemasons and Related Trades (+21.6%), Building and Civil Engineering Technicians (+16.5%) and Forestry Workers (+16.3%). There was also growing demand for Printing Machine Assistants (+15.4%), Planning, Process and Production Technicians (+14.3%) and Road Transport Drivers n.e.c. (+12.8%).

Nannies and Au Pairs (-20.4%), Probation Officers (-21.0%) and for the second month in a row, Data Entry Administrators (-18.5%), all showed the largest decline in roles from April 2024 to April 2024. Probation Officers also showed a decline in the number of postings for the second month in a row.

Ards and North Down (+17.7%), Conwy and Denbighshire (+15.3%) and Bromley (+14.1%) had among the highest growth in job postings when compared to last month.

Mid and East Antrim (-10.1%), Orkney Islands (-12.8%) and Tower Hamlets (-12.8%) all accounted for the sharpest decline in job postings. Half of the bottom ten areas showing the largest decline in active postings were in London. The REC’s recent Report on Jobs publication chimes with this, showing that permanent vacancies further fell across the capital in May and demand for temporary workers also contracted.