State of Recruitment October 2023
In today’s fast-paced job market, understanding the pulse of job seekers is pivotal for recruiters and employers alike. The trends, preferences, and deterrents are ever-evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is paramount. The questions loom large: What are job seekers actually searching for? Which sectors are experiencing a surge in applications? And perhaps most intriguingly, what are the most searched terms by job seekers, and how can these insights be leveraged to attract top talent?
A few highlights from this blog:
- What are job seekers searching actually and what’s putting people off from applying?
- Which sectors are seeing huge growth in terms of application levels – we have seen a whopping 1200% increase in the automotive sector! Where does your industry sit?
- What are the most searched terms by job seekers? Could you include any to gain more visibility and ultimately more applications?
Firstly, here is our Tip of the Month – Cross-transferable Skills
Given that the war for talent is clearly far from over, recruiters would be well advised to spread their nets as widely as possible. Those that target people seeking a change of career could gain a crucial competitive advantage.
Career-changers will often bring transferable skills, knowledge and practices that can encourage fresh perspectives in a business and result in more efficient and considered ways of working,” she says.
The wording of job adverts is important in reassuring potential career-changers, who may be unsure about taking the leap, that their applications will be welcomed and taken seriously.
Veolia’s job ads include the following statement: “If you don’t meet all of our outlined requirements, we’d still love for you to apply. If you feel that you’d be a great fit for this role and Veolia, we’d like to find out more about you.”
Removing irrelevant criteria can also help. For instance, is it necessary to require three years of experience for an entry-level position as a web designer? Or is expertise in an outdated system beneficial when the company is about to replace it?
Industry News
The leading Recruitment and Employment Technology Company, CareerWallet processes up to 10 million jobs daily from recruitment companies and employers across the UK and has recently published a Global Workplace survey showing detailed trends and insights into the UK job market.
The report has revealed the top 7 reasons job seekers are put off a business when applying for a new role with bad reviews and terrible annual leave topping the list.
Top Reasons Job Seekers Don’t Apply for A New Role:
- Bad Reviews online 46%
- Terrible annual leave 44%
- Bad Staff incentives and benefits 42%
- Morally dubious sector 32%
- No hybrid working 21%
- No Sustainability Policy 19%
- Outdated Sector 18%
The survey shows that job seekers are often extensively researching firms before applying for new roles with nearly half (46%) put off by bad reviews online and 19% refusing to apply to firms with no sustainability policy. Terrible annual leave (44%) and bad staff incentives/benefits (42%) were also high on the list of reasons job seekers would be put off applying to new potential employers when looking for a career change.
The national survey from the leading tech firm shows what is important for job seekers when applying for new roles and gives employers a good idea of what factors they need to consider to help attract the best talent to their business. Some of these could be an easy fix such as upgrading staff benefits, offering some level of hybrid working and also making sure annual leave is competitive and in line with competitors.
A few stats
Job Posted
| Job Sector | Month on Month Growth |
| Energy | 65% |
| Recruitment Consultancy | 63% |
| Charity & Voluntary | 62% |
| Training | 51% |
| Security & Safety | 50% |
| Strategy & Consultancy | 36% |
| Legal | 33% |
| Education | 30% |
| Health & Medicine | 23% |
| Purchasing | 21% |
Most Searched words last month
| Search |
| warehouse |
| administration |
| remote |
| visa sponsorship |
| business analyst |
| data entry |
| urgent or “immediate start” |
| finance |
| accountant |
| admin |
Weekly Figures
When do we get the most applications? Mondays – 90,973
Average application by location
| Region Name with London | Average Applications |
| London | 13.0 |
| North East England | 9.2 |
| West Midlands (Region) | 8.6 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 7.0 |
| North West England | 6.7 |
| East Midlands | 6.0 |
| South East England | 5.9 |
| Scotland | 4.5 |
| East Anglia | 4.5 |
| Wales | 3.9 |
| South West England | 3.5 |
| Northern Ireland | 2.3 |
Average Applications per Vacancy
| Reed Year | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2023-2024 |
| Job Sector | Average Applications | Average Applications | YoY % Difference in APV |
| Motoring & Automotive | 0.3 | 4.5 | 1,210.2% |
| Retail | 1.1 | 12.9 | 1,096.2% |
| Training | 0.5 | 5.6 | 1,081.2% |
| Security & Safety | 1.0 | 8.4 | 765.9% |
| Social Care | 1.5 | 5.2 | 256.9% |
| Customer Service | 4.6 | 15.9 | 248.7% |
| Hospitality & Catering | 1.7 | 5.8 | 242.4% |
| Leisure & Tourism | 4.7 | 12.0 | 156.5% |
| FMCG | 4.9 | 11.7 | 139.1% |
| Health & Medicine | 2.1 | 4.7 | 128.0% |
| Other | 6.6 | 14.6 | 120.8% |
| Energy | 2.5 | 5.2 | 108.7% |
| IT & Telecoms | 11.7 | 23.3 | 99.1% |
| Transport & Logistics | 6.1 | 11.6 | 89.6% |
| Manufacturing | 4.2 | 7.6 | 83.9% |
| Construction & Property | 3.8 | 6.5 | 71.8% |
| Admin, Secretarial & PA | 13.9 | 23.8 | 71.0% |
| Sales | 7.6 | 12.9 | 69.4% |
| Human Resources | 9.9 | 15.8 | 59.5% |
| Marketing & PR | 12.5 | 18.2 | 45.8% |
| Apprenticeships | 11.6 | 16.7 | 43.7% |
| Accountancy | 10.1 | 14.3 | 42.6% |
| Media, Digital & Creative | 15.5 | 22.0 | 41.9% |
| Graduate Training | 9.6 | 13.4 | 39.7% |
| Charity & Voluntary | 7.3 | 10.1 | 39.0% |
| General Insurance | 7.2 | 9.8 | 37.1% |
| Engineering | 4.2 | 5.8 | 37.0% |
| Financial Services | 8.9 | 11.6 | 31.1% |
| Estate Agency | 4.4 | 5.3 | 21.5% |
| Legal | 4.6 | 5.4 | 17.9% |
| Education | 3.0 | 3.5 | 15.7% |
| Strategy & Consultancy | 4.1 | 4.6 | 13.4% |
| Accountancy (Qualified) | 6.8 | 7.7 | 12.7% |
| Scientific | 11.6 | 11.9 | 2.5% |
| Purchasing | 7.2 | 6.0 | -16.5% |
| Banking | 6.7 | 4.7 | -29.3% |
| Public Sector | 23.0 | 14.8 | -35.7% |
| Recruitment Consultancy | 5.3 | 2.0 | -61.1% |
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