Two years on from the anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown, job vacancies in four sectors are still well down on their pre-pandemic levels, according to new analysis by the world’s largest job site Indeed.
The legal profession and the beauty and wellness sector are the worst affected, with both still seeing job postings on the Indeed platform 22% below where they were in February 2020, just before the first lockdown.
In comparison, overall job postings on Indeed are up 47% from where they were in February 2020. Meanwhile, the ONS recorded another record high for UK job vacancies between December and February, with the number of available jobs reaching 1,318,000.
Indeed’s data reveals that the childcare and aviation sectors are the only two other areas where job postings have yet to recover to their pre-pandemic levels. Job postings in childcare are still 9% behind, and the aviation industry is 1% behind.
The lack of recovery in aviation is likely to be attributed to the fact that the tourism industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. It was also one of the last sectors to have Covid-19 rules eased, with the remaining travel restrictions for international passengers entering the UK only ending on 18 March.
Meanwhile, many staff in the legal profession were furloughed early in the pandemic when many deals were put on hold and courts and other Government agencies were closed or running at reduced capacity. However, a new survey by the accountancy firm MHA has found that 85% of law firms are planning to increase staff numbers in 2022.
The physical contact required in beauty and wellness treatments may be holding back demand from customers still concerned about the virus, and thus employers’ willingness to hire more staff. As a service sector reliant on discretionary spending, beauty and wellness is feeling a further squeeze as the surging cost of living prompts some customers to cut back their spending.
However, the vast majority of sectors have bounced back and in total 26 are outperforming the overall pace of jobs growth, led by cleaning and sanitation, loading and stocking and dentistry, where job postings have doubled since February 2020.
Sectors with the biggest increase in job postings since February 2020
| Ranking | Occupation | % increase in job postings |
| 1 | Cleaning & Sanitation | 122% |
| 2 | Loading & Stocking | 119% |
| 3 | Dental | 100% |
| 4 | Retail | 96% |
| 5 | Production & Manufacturing | 95% |
| 6 | Physicians & Surgeons | 94% |
| 7 | Veterinary | 88% |
| 8 | Food Preparation & Service | 87% |
| 9 | Medical Technician | 86% |
| 10 | Community & Social Service | 84% |
Some of the sectors enjoying the biggest increase in postings have also seen the most significant wage growth over the past year as employers hike salaries to try to fill vacancies.
Median advertised pay for cleaning and sanitation roles is up 5.2%, and salaries for loading and stocking rose by 6.3% in the last 12 months. Construction jobs have seen the biggest increase in advertised salaries, with wage growth up by 8.6%.
The legal profession has seen just a 0.9% increase in advertised salaries.
Jack Kennedy, UK Economist at global job site Indeed, comments:
“Job vacancies may be hitting record highs, but two years on from the pandemic’s arrival in the UK, some sectors are showing signs of permanent scarring.
“With the last remaining restrictions on international travellers entering the UK finally lifted, the aviation sector may now haul itself back to its pre-pandemic level of job postings.
“But the beauty & wellness and legal sectors have much further to go, even if there are positive signs that the legal profession is planning to ramp up its hiring this year.
“However, if concerns over close contact and catching the virus persist, the beauty & wellness sector may find it harder to return to pre-pandemic levels, particularly if the rise in the cost of living means people reduce their discretionary and leisure spending.”
