Online applications through the TotalJobs website were 25 per cent higher in the last three months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, according to data from the online recruiters.The data follows the latest official employment figures that show UK total employment falling back slightly by 9,000 from its record high, while average UK earnings are growing ahead of inflation.Applications through the jobs website were also up 11 per cent in the final three months of 2016 when compared with the previous three months.

Hospitality, transport and logistics see most movement

The biggest demand for new jobs were in East Anglia, Scotland and the South West. Sectors seeing the biggest growth in applicants in Q4 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 were catering & hospitality, property and transport & logistics, up 51 per cent, 42 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.However, vacancy growth in the property sector was more than exceeded by applications, which were up 75 per cent. Applications for construction were also up 63 per cent, alongside official government data that shows the sector expanded marginally overall in 2016, ending on a high after a slow start to 2016.

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Related reading:

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• Talent resourcing and selection factsheet

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Longer recruitment lead times

Separate data from the company based on 180 employers and recruiters and 3,305 jobseekers carried out in September and October last year also suggest a buyers’ market for skills.Employers are seeing applicant numbers for each job rising by an average 18 per cent.Six in ten employers take up to eight weeks to hire, while one in five vacancies take between three to six months to fill.Commenting on the findings, John Salt, director at totaljobs said, “There’s never an ‘easy’ time to hire a new member of staff, but what this latest data shows us is that the trend for job hunting in the new year actually starts much earlier, towards the back end of the previous year.“For those recruiters that might find it a bit harder to attract candidates quickly, such as the 20 per cent that have to leave vacancies open for three to six months, it could be worth trying to move the time you recruit towards the early winter months, where demand high."On top of this, offering the right package of benefits, and using the correct recruiting methods remains important.”

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