Latest figures show the North West is rebounding from the economic downturn well with a huge 64,000 increase in vacancies.
Focus on: Jobs boom in the North West
Data unearthed by jobs matching platform Skillzminer shows that the region’s arts and entertainment, real estate, hospitality and transport and logistics sectors have seen a huge growth in the number of jobs being available over the last quarter.
The region has seen a massive 15.7% rise in vacancies in the arts and entertainments industry – with 13,000 more jobs being made available than in the previous three months.
Hospitality saw a 6.3% rise, with 15,000 more vacancies, while 5,000 more vacancies in real estate represented an 8.1% rise.
And the 10,000 more vacancies in transport and logistics meant that the sector had grown by 4.5% in the reporting period.
One of the areas to be decreasing in vacancies was construction, although there were still more than 225,000 vacancies according to the latest figures available.
Figures released today also show that unemployment in the region has reduced by 0.8% to 4.1%. But it means 141,000 working-age people in areas like Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Warrington, Carlisle, Chester and Blackpool are still out of work.
Although the huge wave of expected redundancies following the end of the government’s furlough scheme has not yet materialised, the uncertainty around careers and their longevity still persists.
Experts believe the time now provides the perfect opportunity for local authorities, education providers and employers to review their strategies around work and employment.
Skillzminer is calling on decision-makers to take time to plan for the future and ensure investment is driven towards the sectors that will help the economy to grow – both regionally and nationally.
Kirsty Mitchell, Managing Director at Skillzminer, said: “It’s fantastic to see the amount of vacancies in the region, providing much-needed work for people who have had a tough 18 months.
“But the economy is at an important crossroad. We need to be making sure that people have the opportunity to have long-standing careers in jobs they love – and that might mean taking some tough decisions and drive investment where it’s needed. It’s clear there are huge skills gaps in certain sectors that are needed to support the way we live and care for our ageing population.
“The focus of everyone involved in the labour market needs to be on having the right people in the right roles to ensure we have a productive and resilient economy.”
Skillzminer is a job matching platform that matches people to their ideal jobs through looking at their skills, interests and working styles rather than what they’ve always done for a living.
The platform has already proven to be an effective tool, matching candidates with 12 times more jobs than they would through a traditional job search, with employability providers, recruiters and housing associations already signed up.
Take a look at how Skillzminer can help.