Professional recruitment firms now have 6% more vacancies on their books than this time last year according to new survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). This is in line with the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which reveals that overall employment levels increased by 177,000 in the three months to September.

Finance & accounting sectors driving growth

The latest data from APSCo reveals that growth in the professional recruitment market continues to climb across many of the trade association’s core sector groups. Permanent vacancies across finance & accounting, and media & marketing are all up year-on-year (16%, and 2% respectively). This positive sentiment is in line with recent reports that UK exports and business investment made the biggest contribution to the country’s growth in four years. Official figures also show that living standards have returned to pre-crisis levels.
The continued boom of the financial and accounting sectors is mirrored by the latest report from recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley which found that the number of new vacancies in financial services in London rose by 7% in October 2015. A second report, from the British Bankers’ Association, has highlighted that provincial ‘hotspots’ within 77 local authorities have become regional banking hubs, accounting for faster growth in banking jobs than London itself.

• Permanent vacancies increase 6% year-on-year
• Finance & accounting roles up by 16%
• Contract vacancies up 2%
• Average year-on-year salary increases stable at 4.3%
• Contract vacancies within financial services soar by 34%