Demand for new jobs soars - but there's a big difference between what men and women are looking for

A child in a nursery
-Credit:PA


Demand for childminders has surged, recruiters report, with job opportunities more than doubling from 430 to 887 at the end of last year.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said that the number of job advertisements for optometrists, authors, writers, translators, and train and tram drivers also saw a significant uptick.

However, there was a decrease in vacancies for bar staff, coffee shop workers, hairdressers, and barbers, the research indicated. Last month, there were 1.4 million job adverts, reflecting a 5.5% decline from November.

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REC's chief executive, Neil Carberry, said: “We anticipate that a return to growth this year will drive business confidence to hire and invest. Firms will be looking to the Chancellor to underpin this confidence in her interventions later in the month.

“At the moment government policy feels like more of a hindrance than a help in getting employment rates up.”

New figures on regional and national unemployment levels will be published next week.