Advertised job vacancies drop 4.8 per cent after three months of growth, says survey

Advertised vacancies for jobs fell by almost 5% in December, ending three months of growth, although average salaries increased slightly, a study shows.

Jobs site Adzuna said just over 1.1 million positions were advertised last month, 4.8% down compared with November.

Salaries in job adverts rose by 0.3% to an average of £32,323, but are still over 3% lower than a year ago.

Pay in London showed the biggest fall over the past year, down by 3.9%, although the capital had the highest number of vacancies at almost 250,000.

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “It is encouraging to see the UK adopting an approach of shared wealth across the country.

“This shift away from a capital-centric focus will open many doors and create multiple opportunities for other regions.

“In line with the Government’s recent announcement on a cash boost for the North of England to create jobs and invest in new sectors focusing on science, research and innovation, this collective approach is necessary for the UK to develop an effective post-Brexit strategy.

“In addition, the shift in the jobs market outside of the capital may also have been caused in part by the property market in London, as unattainable house prices coupled with stagnating salaries force consumers to relocating to increase their disposable incomes and stand a chance of getting on the property ladder.”