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IA Jobs Indicator Reveals Continued Cautious Optimism For UK Jobs Market As Data Show Increase In Full Time Online Job Postings

IA Jobs Indicator Reveals Continued Cautious Optimism For UK Jobs Market As Data Show Increase In Full Time Online Job Postings

The latest jobs indicator https://publicfirst.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=36069d382a6bd10b7b4c2a2f2&id=858b14fcb1&e=dfa2ba993b released today by Internet Association shows a continued increase in the number of full time job postings online as the UK economy attempts to recover in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the data also highlights the stark impact of the lockdown in November 2020 on part-time work.

The new data shows that in December 2020, full-time online job postings rose by 2.5 percent, following a 1.5 percent rise in November 2020 and a 0.3 percent rise in October 2020 - pointing to cautious growth in the full-time jobs market.

However, the impact of the lockdown introduced late last year on part-time work is also revealed by the new data. November 2020 saw a 23 percent decrease in part-time online job postings, following a small increase of 2 percent in October 2020. With the closure of non-essential retail, hospitality and other sectors reliant on part-time work, this decrease highlights the impact on those sectors and their workers.

The new data, part of IA’s ‘3i Report’ series, presents monthly insights on the UK job market using data from national and internet-based resources. The report tracks month to month trends in the online job market and presents unique information on hiring, openings and an online income tracker that identifies the amount of additional income being made by people online through, for example, selling products on platforms like Etsy or Ebay. The tracker shows that over a fifth of UK adults are using the internet to earn money online, with 11 percent of those earning more than £250 a month online.

The report also highlights how the internet is a vital tool to help people find work and create income in a variety of ways - with the latest update a cause for cautious optimism for the UK full-time jobs market. It shows steady growth in online job postings after a difficult period during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and a stabilising rate of people earning money online. The part-time jobs data is of more concern, though, and highlights the impact of lockdowns on that section of the jobs market.

Key findings from IA’s ‘Industry Indicators: Jobs (3i Jobs) Report’ include:

Over the course of 12 months, full-time online job postings have dropped by almost 10% - in line with the redundancies and job losses seen as a result of the pandemic. And despite the sharp fall during Q4, over the year there has been an 86% increase in part-time job postings. This highlights the current uncertainty for business, with owners unable to plan for the long term with repeated lockdowns and restrictions being introduced.

After a slump during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, online full-time job postings continue to steadily increase despite the UK unemployment rate rising – offering some hope for those losing their jobs. Online job postings for full time positions were up 2.5 percent month over month in December, following an increase of 1.5 percent in November.

The part-time job market continues to lag behind the full-time one. November saw a 23 percent decline in the number of online job postings for part-time positions following a 2 percent increase in October - likely as a result of the lockdown introduced in the UK in November.

A fifth of UK adults now use the internet to earn money online – with the most common amounts being around £10-20 per month, through to around £100 a month. This rate has remained stable throughout the year, suggesting that people are beginning to use the increased flexibility of home working to earn additional income online. The number of people earning more than £250 per month in additional income online has also jumped according to this report. *In January 2020, 3 percent of online earners said they made more than £250 a month, but by December this had risen to 11 percent.

The top postings for full time positions in December were Customer Assistant and Administrative Assistant. The top postings for part time positions were Sales Assistant, Retail Sales Associate, Interviewer and Freelance Writer.


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