REC - Report on jobs: National lockdown weighs on recruitment decisions in February
Friday, 26 March 2021
The ongoing national lockdown continued to weigh on hiring decisions in February, according to the latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs survey. Permanent staff appointments fell for the second month running, albeit at a softer pace than in January, while growth in temp billings eased to a seven-month low. At the same time, overall demand for staff was little-changed in February, having fallen solidly at the start of the year. The availability of workers meanwhile rose only fractionally, as even though pandemic-related redundancies were widely reported, there was also greater reluctance among candidates to seek new roles due to lingering uncertainty and concerns over job security. On the pay front, starting salaries fell modestly, while temp wages were broadly stable. Further details within.