The number of advertised vacancies fell by almost 1% last month compared to March, to 854,000, and by almost a fifth on a year ago, said the report
Employers are now taking an average of 39 days to fill job openings, marking an increase of over three days since March, as reported by the jobs site Adzuna.
This slowdown in hiring comes alongside a decrease in job vacancies, which dropped nearly 1% last month from March to 854,000, representing a nearly 20% decline year-on-year, according to the latest figures.
However, some sectors like hospitality, catering, manufacturing, and teaching have seen a rise in job openings, Adzuna noted. The report also highlighted that the average advertised salary edged up by 0.45% in April to £38,810, which is about 3% higher than the same period last year.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “April was another difficult month for job hunters across the UK though there do appear to be some glimmers of hope. Several sectors saw vacancies rise including hospitality and catering, manufacturing and teaching, demonstrating rising business confidence throughout the UK and companies are keen to hire specialist staff.”
He added: “They are willing to pay well for new team members too, with only two sectors, legal and travel, experiencing a minor fall in average salaries this month. The East Midlands continues to see the largest annual increases for the fifth month in a row, helped by roles in science, tech and professional services.”