Vacancies in the West Midlands rise 7% year-on-year
Demand for permanent professionals in the West Midlands increased by 7% year-on-year to August 2017 according to research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).
The data, provided by recruitment software company, Innovantage, revealed that in addition to the 7% uplift in permanent vacancies, demand for professional contractors also increased by 2% over the same period. Vacancies for interims rose significantly across the legal sector, which saw demand for professionals increase by 23%.
This data comes following a report from Barclays Wealth & Investments which found that Birmingham enjoyed the greatest increase in GDP per capita in the UK, which rose by 4.2% between 2016 and 2017.
Commenting on the data, Julie Selby, membership relations manager at APSCo said: “Following a number of consecutive months of optimism across the West Midlands, professional job availability has risen once more.”
“The legal sector, in particular, is performing extremely well. This can be attributed to a high volume of top firms such as Eversheds Sutherland, Pinsent Masons, Gowling WLG and Squire Patton Boggs having a presence in the region. And with firms such as Hogan Lovells increasingly moving roles from London to the Midlands, this trend looks set to continue.”
