“Monitoring contractor demand across the South West” There was a 49 percent increase in jobs month-on-month. Thriving aerospace industry fuelling boom in private sector vacancies. Contractors come out on top with eight percent rate rises month-on-month.

Government investment in aerospace industry fuels demand for professional talent

The January 2015 South West Recruitment Index registered a 49 percent month-on-month increase in job availability, with 1,675 vacancies, compared to 1,125 recorded in December 2014. This surge in demand for professional talent – over a period which is traditionally impacted by seasonal hiring blips- can be largely attributed to a thriving aerospace industry. Within the public sector, organisational changes in social housing are also driving job creation.

Sundeep Bakshi Associate Director of Venn Group, commented: “The South West has historically been at the centre of the UK’s aerospace industry, with Concorde, Rolls-Royce and Airbus all creating jobs in the region. Despite the closure BAE System’s Filton Aerodrome in 2012, Bristol and the surrounding area remains a global hub of activity for innovation in this area. Recent reports that South West based aerospace companies are to receive a share of £100m funding – from a £2bn pot committed jointly by industry and the Government – indicate that job creation in this area is only set to continue. Infrastructure and Solutions Architects are particularly sought after to meet the need created by the growth of cloud services. Organisations are also drafting in Cyber Security experts as companies invest heavily in safeguarding data in the wake of recent high profile hacks.”

Contractors gain in remuneration stakes as a result of increased demand

The average rate increase for those securing new jobs in January 2015 was 8 percent, with contractors now commanding an average of £13 per hour across the region. Bakshi continued: “Within the public sector, there has been a strong increase in demand for specialist support professionals to work within social housing with a focus on substance misuse and domestic violence. This has been spurred by the fact that mental health services are now being absorbed and commissioned by organisations that have traditionally provided substance misuse and domestic violence support. There has also been a big push by registered social landlords to increase their revenue from rent and income collection for both current and former tenants before public sector year end. These factors have had a significant impact on contract roles in this area.”