HR and engineering buck trend as job openings decline

The number of new jobs being advertised by UK businesses declined between March and April, despite demand for employees reaching record highs in some sectors.

Recruitment specialist Reed said its job index declined from 128 points to 125 points, indicating the number of available posts had shrunk.

Nevertheless, it remained 22 per cent above the figure for April 2010 and was still 25 per cent higher than when it started in December 2009.

Reed said that despite the overall decline in vacancies during April, recruitment efforts had actually been increased in nine sectors: customer service; engineering; estate agency; human resources; IT and telecommunications; the public sector; retail; security and safety; and social care.

Of these, two sectors - HR and engineering - saw demand for staff reach new monthly records.

On the pay front, Reed's salary index remained unchanged between March and April at 99 points, indicating that wages are not keeping pace with upward pressure on prices.

In related news, a separate study by accountant Deloitte has warned that pay growth is "unlikely to catch up with inflation any time soon".

Roger Bootle, the firm's economic adviser, said it is "all but certain" that real earnings will decline for a fourth successive year in 2011 - the first time this has happened since the 1870s.