U.K. Permanent Placements Rise Modestly In January: REC/KPMG

Permanent job placements in the United Kingdom increased for the first time in four months in January, data from a survey by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) showed Wednesday.


Permanent placements increased modestly in January, marking the first job growth in four months. Salaries of permanent employees rose marginally, and the rate of growth was much slower than the long-run series average.

Meanwhile, recruitment of temporary/contract staff decreased slightly during the month, marking the second consecutive fall.

Overall new vacancies increased at the slowest pace in 27 months in January. Engineering and construction workers were the most sought-after, while demand for hotel and catering staff declined. At the same time, availability of candidates continued to rise in January, though at a slower pace.

"This month's Report on Jobs highlights that there are glimmers of hope for the UK jobs market with permanent placements increasing for the first time in four months," REC chief executive Kevin Green said. "This is the first positive indicator for some time that employers are looking to hire staff despite the ongoing weakness of the economy."