That’s according to new research from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the recruitment sector.
The data, provided by business intelligence specialist Vacancysoft, reveals that companies in London have published more than 171,400 vacancies in 2021 to date, surpassing 2020’s total by 76%.
IT specialists are in most demand, with firms in the capital publishing more than 54,600 new jobs for these professionals, accounting for 30.4% of all vacancies in 2021.
With the pandemic propelling the UK’s adoption of technology and the continued need for talent to manage both remote and hybrid working strategies, it is perhaps clear to see why IT specialists are so highly sought after.
Elsewhere, the data shows that Amazon continues to lead the table of most active hires in the capital. The firm has published more than 2,700 vacancies in 2021 and is up 16.4% year-on-year.
Despite this, Citi and Sky follow closely behind with even larger hiring surges of 120% and 131.2% retrospectively.
Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo said, “The capital is continuing to show incredible signs of recovery after a difficult 2020. With a record month of vacancies reported in October and job numbers continuing to climb for the second half of the year, London looks set to end 2021 on a high, setting the staffing sector up for a strong start for next year.
“As businesses continue to adapt to a more permanent shift to hybrid working, demand for IT specialists has naturally risen and looks set to continue to grow in the immediate future.
“What will certainly remain a concern, however, is the availability of skills. Staff shortages have been rapidly growing as the entire UK economy begins to recover from the pandemic. Combine the less-than-desirable immigration route into the UK for highly skilled professionals with the rollout of Off Payroll rules, and it’s unsurprising that so many staffing firms are struggling to meet employer demand.”
Procurement headhunter James Dobbin, Head of Practice – Financial & Professional Services at Procurement Heads, has seen strong demand for experienced procurement and supply chain professionals in the capital.
He said, “Highly skilled procurement and supply chain professionals have probably never been in more demand and the London market has gone from strength to strength in recent months.
“We are seeing particular demand for well-rounded procurement professionals, especially within the consultancy space.
“It is great to see hiring reach record highs in London as usually this is a good barometer for the wider recruitment market.”
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