We regularly update this report to track the pandemic’s effects on the labour market. 

Job postings growth continued last week. Job postings — a real-time measure of labour market activity — were 4.8% above the 1 February, 2020, pre-pandemic baseline, seasonally adjusted, as of 4 June, 2021. That was a 4.0 percentage point (ppt) gain from a fortnight ago, when the headline measure had just nudged into positive territory for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.   

A line graph titled “Job postings on Indeed UK”
A line graph titled “Job postings on Indeed UK” showing the percentage change in job postings on Indeed UK since 01 Feb 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 12 Feb 2021. There was a 4.8% change in UK job postings on Indeed from 01 Feb 2020 to 04 Jun 2021.

Veterinary and cleaning jobs on the rise 

The strongest improvement during the latest fortnight was in the veterinary category, followed by cleaning & sanitation. Hospitality & tourism, scientific research & development, pharmacy, education & instruction and customer service also saw gains.

Several sectors saw deteriorating trends, led by construction. However, job postings remained well above pre-pandemic levels in those categories, with the exception of beauty & wellness. 

Table titled “Construction jobs on the rise.”
Table titled “Construction jobs on the rise.” Indeed compared the percent change in UK job postings, between 01 February, 2020, and 04 Jun 2021 across various sectors divided into sections “strongest performers,” and “weakest performers.” The strongest performers were the veterinary and cleaning & sanitation sectors, while the weakest performers were construction, physicians & surgeons and sports.

North East and Wales continue to lead the pack

The North East and Wales continue to lead the regional ranking, with job postings in most regions now comfortably above pre-pandemic levels. Only in Northern Ireland, London and the South East are job postings still below the baseline. 

Bar graph titled “Job postings on Indeed UK.”
Bar graph titled “Job postings on Indeed UK.” This bar graph shows the percentage change in job postings on Indeed UK since 01 Feb 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 04 Jun 2021. The North East saw a 26% change, the largest, while Northern Ireland saw the lowest % change at -11%.

Middlesbrough has strongest job postings recovery

Cities and large towns in the North of England and the Midlands remained among the strongest performers, led by Middlesbrough, Hull and Stoke. The weakest job posting recoveries have been in Aberdeen, Crawley and Belfast. 

Table titled “Middlesbrough leads job postings recovery.”
Table titled “Middlesbrough leads job postings recovery.” This bar graph shows the percentage change in job postings on Indeed UK since 01 Feb 2020, seasonally adjusted, to 04 Jun 2021. Middlesbrough saw a 45% change, the largest, while Aberdeen saw the lowest % change at -44%.

Methodology

All figures in this blogpost are the percentage change in seasonally-adjusted job postings since 1 February, 2020, using a seven-day trailing average. 1 February, 2020, is our pre-pandemic baseline. We seasonally adjust each series based on historical patterns in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Each series, including the national trend, occupational sectors, and sub-national geographies, is seasonally adjusted separately. We adopted this new methodology in January 2021. 

The number of job postings on Indeed.com, whether related to paid or unpaid job solicitations, is not indicative of potential revenue or earnings of Indeed, which comprises a significant percentage of the HR Technology segment of its parent company, Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Job posting numbers are provided for information purposes only and should not be viewed as an indicator of performance of Indeed or Recruit. Please refer to the Recruit Holdings investor relations website and regulatory filings in Japan for more detailed information on revenue generation by Recruit’s HR Technology segment.