A notable surge in job vacancies for delivery drivers, couriers, actors, entertainers, presenters and pest control officers has been seen in recent weeks, new research indicates.
Overall, the UK job market saw 1.7 million adverts in June, marking a 9 per cent increase on May and an 11 per cent rise year-on-year, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (Rec).
The biggest regional increases were recorded in Anglesey, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and Cheshire.
Significant rises were also noted in agriculture, retail, and hospitality roles, which Rec suggests bodes well for summer seasonal hiring.
Lorraine Laryea, Rec’s chief standards officer, said: “There is a clear uptick in firms taking action on long-held hiring plans. We do need to be careful of seasonal effects, including the two bank holidays in May and the onset of summer hiring in locations like Cornwall, but the general trend is clear.
“Firms are venturing back to hiring and vacancies are now above pre-Gulf crisis levels.
“With a new prime minister coming to office this week, real recovery relies on an economic plan that sustains growing confidence, not action that once again deflates it and derails companies’ plans.”
Earlier this year, a review found that Britain’s youth unemployment crisis is costing the nation £125 billion each year, as the number of young people out of work or education surpassed one million for the first time since 2013.
This sum, which exceeds the country’s entire education budget and is nearly double its defence spending, is among several stark findings in a report by Alan Milburn, the former Labour health secretary.
Mr Milburn warned that without urgent intervention, Britain risks fostering a “lost generation.”
The escalating NEET crisis, which tracks 16- to 24-year-olds not engaged in education, employment, or training, is attributed to a “whole-system failure,” according to Mr Milburn.
This failure has severely limited the availability of entry-level positions for young people across the country.
Mr Milburn said the characterisation of young people as not trying is “a myth”, adding: “The story of not trying, being soft, being a snowflake generation – I just don’t buy it.”
He said the issue is that the system is “no longer working”, and added: “The problem is that for too many young people, opportunities are not growing – they’re shrinking.”
