Childminders and debt collectors in high demand across the UK, employment data reveals

Vacancies for debt collectors and childminders are among the job postings that have surged the most within the last week, new data shows.

There are more than 1.1 million active jobs in the UK, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, including an extra 125,000 new vacancies posted in the past week, the highest since late March.

Financial experts say some businesses are emerging from a “frozen state” and can now afford to employ extra workers as they see renewed consumer demand for their services.

Four of the top ten hiring spots in the UK are in Northern Ireland, with the biggest falls in job postings over the last week recorded in Swindon and North Ayrshire, which saw a -11.5% and -15.6% decline respectively.

Out of all the recorded trades, job adverts for gardeners have risen the most in the past week, with a 24.8 percent increase, followed by construction workers, painters and decorators, all rising by around 15 percent.

Ahead of the scheduled reopening of schools, and with parents planning their returns to the office, childminders are also in high recent demand, with 2,638 vacancies posted last week, a 27 percent increase since the first week of July.

However, in a sign that many are still in precarious financial positions, there has also been a 20 percent rise in adverts for debt collectors, with 445 active postings last week.

Commenting on the findings, Neil Carberry, chief executive of the REC, which represents 3,300 recruitment businesses, said: “The latest economic data tell a stark story of the scale of the lockdown recession- but now it is all about how quickly we recover.

“Many firms will face cash struggles in September and October, so redundancies will be with us for months to come and unemployment will rise. But a recovery is underway, as the tracker data shows.”

“Absent a major second wave of the virus, the Government needs to make sure all its actions boost the recovery rather than put the brakes on. Supporting retention and hiring by lowering employers' National Insurance would be a good start,” he added.