MNI Brief: UK Demand For Staff Up For First Time In 3 Months

The demand for staff rose modestly in the UK as permanent placements edged up marginally in December due to increased market activity and optimistic vaccine news, according to the latest KPMG/REC jobs report. Temporary billings rose at the sharpest rate since October 2018, signalling that companies are still looking at short-term workers due to uncertainty regarding the pandemic and Brexit. Wages for both permanent and temporary placements increased for the first time since March, although at a slow rate. Nevertheless, the report noted another increase in the availability of workers with recruiters connecting the rise in staff supply to redundancies and worries over job security.

"The underlying strength of the British economy shone through in the December jobs figures. The biggest expansion in temporary recruitment since October 2018 shows how important the flexible jobs market is to that performance. Growing permanent placements and starting pay also emphasised the resilience of our economy." said Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC.

"We will have to see what January brings with a new national lockdown sure to fuel economic uncertainty, alongside preparing and adapting to the new relationship with the EU." added James Stewart, Vice Chair at KPMG.