UK Job Vacancies Drop 15% from 2023

Job Vacancies Plunge Below 900k

In a surprising turn of events, the UK’s job market has dipped under the 900,000‑vacancy threshold for the first time since April 2021. Companies are simply pulling back their hiring guns, giving job seekers a tighter competitive landscape.

Key Numbers (in plain English)

January 2024: 867,436 vacancies – a 14.62% drop from last year and a 6.64% fall from December.
Competition hot‑up: 1.81 applicants per role now, up from 1.68 a month earlier – the highest since August 2021.
Average job listing lives 36.6 days before being filled – the longest time‑to‑fill since January 2023.
Salary marketplace: wages are climbing again, with national salaries topping £38,168 – an increase of 2.99% over last year.
Salary transparency hit a snag – more than half the listings (51.5%) blanked out the pay details.

So what does that mean for the everyday job‑hunter? Picture a crowded field where everyone’s eye is on the same prize. It’s the kind of competition that makes coffee taste colder yet feels exhilarating.

Why the Slowing Hiring?

Companies are taking longer to decide on new hires, perhaps because budgets shrink while still expecting to keep all the good talent. Think of it as a “buy one, think twice, pay later” approach.

(Good News is on the Horizon)

Although December saw a sharper decline of −6.95%, early February previews hint at a stabilising trend. We expect a 0%–2% rise next month, bringing in a sweet spot of positive growth.

Salary Rises Mixed with a Dark Cloud

While wages are on an upward trajectory – even London’s salaries are inching higher for the first time since November 2022 – the lack of salary info on half the postings remains a sore point for those pushing for better transparency.

Bottom line? The job market’s feeling a bit like a snowball; it’s slowing, but the snow’s starting to gather back – and yes, the winter is almost over.

Falling hiring sector-wide

January 2024 Job Market Snapshot: Slippage, but Still Some Upside

Good news? Teaching survived the January crunch and even grew. Bad news? Manufacturing took a brutal “down‑the‑pipe” with almost 18% fewer roles.

Monthly Shifts (January vs. December)

Teaching: –5.88% jobs (the only bright spot).
PR, Advertising & Marketing: –2.79% (still shaking off the dust).
Energy, Oil & Gas: –3.4% (slightly less hungry).
Manufacturing: –17.99% (the big loser).

Year‑On‑Year Trends (January 2023 vs. January 2024)

Teaching remains the gold‑mine, up +22.47% in vacancies.
Travel and Engineering are the quiet losers, down around –9%.
Domestic Help & Cleaning almost died out, dropping –44.58%.

Salaries: Mostly Up, a Few Minor Dipters

Retail salaries nudged up +3.46% month‑on‑month.
Admin posts rose +2.26%.
Energy, Oil & Gas and Travel led the pack with +14.6% and +13.64% yearly increases.
Only PR, Advertising & Marketing, Graduate, and Consultancy had tiny falls (‑0.19%, ‑0.50%, ‑0.56%).
IT and HR/Recruitment dipped a bit annually, with –8.14% and –2.09% respectively.

Regional Salary Pulse in January 2024

After a long stretch of flatlining, London finally stopped the downward spiral with a +1.23% jump to £44,399 – first climb since November 2022.

East Midlands: The front‑runner, +7.68% growth.
Eastern England: +5.4% – still on the rise.
Northern Ireland: A slight slowdown, dropping from +2.81% to +2.09% this month.

Bottom line: the job market’s as wobbly as a jelly‑bean on a sugar rush, but teaching jobs keep the bright side glimmering and salaries in most regions are humming a little more upbeat.

Competition increasing nationwide for jobseekers

Hiring Hilariously Hard in the UK—Which Towns are Job‑Medical?

Job seekers are scrambling like rabbits at a carrot buffet because the number of open positions is shrinking faster than last year’s summer dresses. But not all towns are feeling the crunch—some are practically handing out roles like a generous teacher handing out pencils.

Surplus Spots in the Aristocratic East

In Cambridge 0.3 jobseekers per role, Oxford is even better at 0.7, and Reading at 0.79. These cities have more openings than people looking for work, so you could probably lure a few candidates in for a coffee and a job.

The Struggles in the Midlands and North

Meanwhile, places like Bradford (7.17), Birmingham (3.9) and Sunderland (3.3) are fighting for jobs like arm wrestlers over the last slice of pie. The competition is getting fierce, and it’s turning job‑hunting into a game of “Where’s Waldo?”—except you’re the Waldo.

What It Means for You

Do you live in a job‑heavy town? Expect to trim your résumé, rehearse your elevator pitch, and possibly enroll in a sarcastic “Tips for Escaping Job Competition” workshop.
Are you hailing from a job‑rich spot? Take advantage—keep your cover letters polished and your LinkedIn profile updated, because the talent scouts will be booming.
What if you’re still exploring? Jump into local networking events, volunteer gigs, and the occasional “just for fun” craft session—yes, that might just snag a secret job opening.

Regardless of where you’re standing, the job market is shifting more dynamically than a 90s disco dance. Stay sharp, stay positive, and remember: in the UK’s hiring dance, it’s all about finding the right rhythm—whether that means a deserted stage or a crowded arena.

Healthcare support work rising in demand

Warehouse Wonders Keep Stealing the Spotlight

For the eighth straight month, Warehouse work is the star of Adzuna’s Intelligence Portal. The portal cranks out an Interest Quotient that tells us which jobs are popping off the feed.

The Good, the Bad, and the Seasonal

Lorry Driving was the backup champion for a few months, but this January it slid to 9th place, wiping out 35.9% of its listings.
Truck roles usually hit their stride from October to December in a flurry of Christmas‑season hiring. After that, the numbers naturally dip.
The longer‑term picture isn’t great either: annual hiring for lorry drivers is down by a staggering 53.3% compared to January 2023. That slowdown hints that 2024 is starting off a bit sluggish.

Other Occupations Making Noise

Healthcare Support has surged to the second spot, proving the front‑line helpers are in high demand.
Social Care stays firmly in the third slot—still a hot trend.

What the Experts are Saying

Andrew Hunter, co‑founder of Adzuna, calls out the current chill:

“Jan 2024 is one of the most challenging starts in recent years—companies are putting hiring on pause. That means folks looking for jobs are facing fierce competition. But here’s the silver lining: unemployment has slipped to 3.8% over the last quarter, and 400,000 people jumped onto payrolls. Early February data also hints we might have turned the corner, with vacancies likely to rise next month. And for those who land roles, average advertised salaries keep climbing.”

Tony Wilson from the Institute for Employment Studies adds a balanced view:

“Adzuna’s numbers paint a mixed picture. The December slump continues in January, yet salaries are soaring, thanks to more high‑pay jobs shading in. That pushes average wages to record highs. More competition is good news, but we also need to help people slot into those better‑paid positions if we’re going to recover from the recession.”