A recent survey from online job board CV-Library has shown Southampton had the 5th biggest rise of job vacancies in the UK last year. This is after vacancies have gone up 8.3% from 2018.
Southampton’s growth lies way above that of London, which saw a rise of merely 4.3%. The city has also seen an average wage increase of 2.3% per annum, making it one of the best cities in which to work in the UK.
The job market is still competitive, though, with applications for jobs in Southampton rising by 8.7%. Yet, the south-east is showing promising growth in a struggling labour market. The chief executive of CV-Library, Lee Biggings, stated the following:
Despite severe political and economic uncertainty over the last year, it’s positive to see that the UK jobs market has continued to grow. We’ve noticed that this is an ongoing trend, which should instil confidence in professionals in the South East who may have put off searching for a new job in the run up to the election; especially as January is consistently one of the most popular times for companies to hire.There’s no doubt that now is the best time to look for a new job. Not only are there more roles available, but pay is also increasing, as businesses compete for the best candidates.
Southampton has done well in multiple other studies as well. Growth for Cities recently reported that Southampton is the third best city in the UK for ‘economic wellbeing‘. Information technology and consulting company Atos have also recorded Southampton as one of the top places for entrepreneurs in the UK.
Southampton’s welcome news comes despite the general UK employment recently experiencing the biggest decline for four years. UK employment dropped down by 58,000 in the last quarter of 2019, making it the biggest fall since May 2015. The average wage growth also decreased by 3.6% during this time.
