Manufacturing industry bucks UK job growth trend as jobs and applications plummet

Published:  13 February, 2020

According to the latest data from a leading independent UK job board, CV-Library, the manufacturing job market took a blow in the first month of 2020, with job numbers and applications both falling year-on-year. This is despite national growth in both areas.

The study, which explores job market data from January 2020 and compares this with findings from the same period in 2019, reveals that manufacturing businesses appear to have lost confidence in their hiring efforts, as job numbers fell by 8.9% year-on-year.

What’s more, the data also suggests that professionals are nervous about moving jobs, with applications falling by 11.3% year-on-year. Manufacturing was one of the few industries to experience falls in both jobs and applications, as troubles persist in the industry.

Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library comments: “Despite the UK witnessing a surge in jobs and applications in January, our data clearly shows that the manufacturing industry has seriously bucked the trend. January is usually a busy month for hiring, but the significant year-on-year decline of both job vacancies and applications suggests that the sector is in serious trouble.

“We know that the industry will be negatively impacted by Brexit, so the declining job market will also be a bitter pill to swallow for the sector’s employers.”

Interestingly, the data also reveals that salaries for new manufacturing roles have risen by 1.6% year-on-year.

Lee Biggins continues: “We know that a lot of businesses have had no choice but to push up their pay packets in order to entice people out of their current roles, but clearly this tactic has been unsuccessful in the manufacturing sector. Money isn’t the only motivator for today’s professionals and a higher salary alone won’t be enough to make your job adverts attractive.

“If you want to maximise your job openings, try to mention the aspects that will interest potential applicants, like a great company culture and development opportunities. Your company is probably a great place to work, so really try and sell it to candidates when you advertise your jobs.”

www.cv-library.co.uk

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