A set of job figures have bucked the trend for employment doom and gloom as they show active job adverts were up 7.2 percent in January 2025 from the previous month.
Data from REC, the recruitment industry body, show that the number of overall active job postings last month was 1,516,535, which is an increase of 7.2% on the number of job postings in December 2024.
REC said this is the first time overall job postings have increased since June 2024.
The largest rise was in the East Midlands (11.7 percent), while the smallest was in London (3.4 percent). But job adverts were found to have increased in every UK region.
Boost for new postings
Data showed that the number of new UK job postings had also increased. In January 2025 new adverts reached 738,040, indicating a rise of 34.4 percent from December 2024. This represents a bigger increase than the previous year, when new job adverts rose 27.9 percent in January 2024 compared to December 2023.
The recruiter body said the latest figures show employers coming back to the job market as the new year begins, in spite of economic challenges. This indicates cautious optimism in some sectors, it said, adding, this does not necessarily signal a broad or fast recovery.
It is a bright spot in a week of difficult news about the UK economy, REC said.
Kate Shoesmith, deputy chief executive at REC, said: “While there are tough conversations going on in boardrooms across the country, today’s report suggests it is too soon for gloom about the UK economy’s prospects overall for 2025.
“The increase in job postings is a clear sign that employers will hire when they need to. A 34.4 percent increase in new jobs signals a solid rebound in demand, showing that businesses remain resilient, despite both domestic and international headwinds. We will look closely in the coming months to see if we are looking at a broader turn.
“The government’s increased focus on economic growth is encouraging, but fostering business confidence requires tangible actions, not just rhetoric. Ongoing fiscal uncertainty, looming national insurance increases, and a potentially burdensome employment rights framework may yet dampen momentum. For real growth, businesses need a clearer strategy on how government industrial policies will truly drive economic progress.”
Recent research from the CIPD and the Federation of Small Businesses found that employers expect to curtail hiring plans and reduce headcount. But as the REC figures show, employers will still hire for business critical roles.
