The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,100 UK employers about whether they intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming economic 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 sustained optimism in the UK jobs market, building on the first quarter of 2013 when the Outlook was also +6% and demonstrating that the jobs market shows no sign of slowing down.
“As the Telecoms sector focuses on customer acquisition and retention against a fiercely competitive backdrop, consumer experience and service remain critical, and recruitment activity is booming. This has led to a notable increase in roles to create value for customers and we are seeing a lot of demand from employers for candidates with strong skills, whether this comes from experience or showing appetite to learn. This is reflected in the sector’s Outlook score of +25% which is the highest point for Telecommunications since 2005.” says Tobias Mills, Manpower Sector Director – Telecommunications & Media.
“One good example is in the North West, where we have seen a big increase in Contact Centre roles, both taking and making calls, due to significant growth in the Telecoms sector in this area.”
Another strong sector this time round is Business and Finance services with an Outlook of +13%. But with investment banks continuing to make cuts, many of the jobs being created in Finance are the direct result of the mis-selling of PPI and Interest Rate Swaps. These scandals have spawned a new industry to deal with the fallout.
It’s not only in the private sector that jobs are being created. ManpowerGroup has detected that, following years of belt tightening, there is a renewed interest in public sector hiring. Indeed this survey suggests that public sector hiring is actually set to outpace private sector hiring in the second quarter of 2013.