A BIG rise in the number of job vacancies posted last month shows the world of work is still a “candidate-driven” market.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) labour force market tracker showed there were 180,000 new job ads in the first week of the year, up 24.5 per cent on the same period in 2022.

Karen Jayne Harris, senior consultant at Poole-based recruitment consultancy TeamJobs, said: “We are seeing people leave industries. According to the TUC in October 2022, 1.8million public sector workers are seriously thinking about quitting the sector. There is this mass exodus that awaits.

“The January stat is high as we are seeing flexibility of roles as people redirect their careers. There are shortages in professional, technical skilled sectors, but there is no reason not to have optimism and hope. There will always be peaks and troughs in recruitment. We all adapt.”

TeamJobs sales manager Natasha Hall sai: “In the commercial sector, we are seeing a spike in activity. Companies put in hiring freezes at the end of the year and then start with a fresh outlook in January. We are not seeing huge peaks and low troughs. There is balance. 2023 is about efficiencies and thinking strategically.”

Jordan Ball, senior industrial recruitment consultant, said: “It’s still a candidate-driven market. More so because of the cost of living. Pay rates are more resonant than ever.

"The minimum wage of £9.50 an hour to a lot of people is something they cannot survive on. There is movement around the job market at the moment and companies paying the lower end of the pay scale are losing staff.”

Recruitment consultant Kat Bielecka said: “I am seeing the completion of roles, and people starting new jobs and whilst there can be a sense of caution, there is also progress. That is something to take forward for the rest of the year.”

Georgia Brooker, financial recruitment consultant at the firm, said “Working in the financial sector, companies are putting focus on working efficiently, so there are many credit controllers and accounts roles at the moment. As businesses manage money on a more pragmatic level, it is also providing potential for people who work in this sector.”