UK’s slowest hiring cities – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh are the top three major cities in Great Britain with the longest time-to-fill for open roles, according to new research by job matching platform Adzuna.

The exclusive data has been revealed after the UK Government unveiled the biggest employment reforms in a generation.

The Get Britain Working reforms will see Jobcentres across the nation overhauled so they better support employers and those looking for work.

For too long, Jobcentres have been Britain’s “most unloved public service”, but the new Government will transform them into a genuine employment service, so they become the first port of call for employers looking to recruit quality local talent.

Adzuna’s time-to-fill metric tracks the duration between a job ad first being posted to when it is closed and deemed ‘filled’, highlighting the average number of days it takes to fill an open position by city and sector, right across Great Britain.

Since early 2020, employers have been taking less time to fill a role, with time-to-fill dropping from 54.6 days in April 2020 to 32.8 days in August 2024, the shortest time to fill since Adzuna started tracking the metric in April 2016 (Graph 1). Over the same period, economic inactivity rose sharply and the employment rate fell, driven by fewer vacancies and increased competition.

In Glasgow, over 120,000 people are classed as inactive, in Edinburgh more than 65,000 people are out of work while in Aberdeen there are over 30,000 people who are inactive. These figures come following data published by the DWP that shows less than one in 10 of those searching for work on Universal Credit find a job within a month – proving more than ever Jobcentre reform is crucial.

Graph 1: Time to fill vs economic inactivity rate since early 2020

Top cities facing hiring challenges

Among the 25 major job markets in Great Britain, Aberdeen emerges as the slowest for hiring, with an average time-to-fill of 34.6 days in August (Table 1), followed by Glasgow (34.5 days) and Edinburgh (33.8 days).

Outside of Scotland, Oxford (33.5 days), Bristol (33.4 days), and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (33.4 days) are the English cities with the longest time-to-fill. In London, where jobseekers per vacancy is at 2.2 and offers the biggest job openings in the country, job postings stayed listed for an average of 33.3 days, slightly longer than in other major cities.

Beyond the major employment hubs, smaller cities like Worcester (36.1 days) in England, lead the pack (Appendix: Map). Other slow-to-hire smaller cities include Gloucester (33.7 days), Carlisle (33.5 days), and St Albans (33.5 days).

Longest delays in filling key sector jobs

Alarmingly, critical demand occupations and growth sectors outlined in the Industrial Strategy exhibit some of the longest hiring times. Professional and business services roles took an average of 38.6 days to fill, while the Energy, Oil & Gas sector took 37.5 days to fill a role on average. In Salford, Manchester, filling a professional and business services role took over two months (65.8 days) on average.

Similarly, Digital and Technologies hiring averaged 36.3 days, while Life Sciences roles took 35.8 days to fill. Interestingly, long hiring times persist even in cities known for their vibrant tech scene. Worcester, the tech and biotech hub, took a staggering two months (60.3 days) on average to fill a tech role, while ‘Silicon Fen’ Cambridge, which contributes a fifth of the nation’s tech sector value, spent 40 days to fill a tech role.

Meanwhile, both the Healthcare and Creative industries took 34.0 days on average to fill a role. In Edinburgh, home to world-famous writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Walter Scott and JK Rowling, creative roles took nearly 50 days to fill (46.8 days).

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of job matching platform Adzuna, said, “Employers in Great Britain are in the throes of a job market characterised by acute skills shortages and a lack of specialist talent. Since early 2020, we’ve seen a significant decline in time-to-fill, reaching a five-year low in August 2024. The Get Britain Working White Paper showcases the UK Government’s commitment to modernising and addressing root challenges in the job market for the benefit of both jobseekers and employers.

“Specifically, the Government’s plans to revamp Jobcentres, rekindle relationships with employers to better meet their recruitment needs, and tailor services to local labour markets represent a step in the right direction. At Adzuna, we’ve spent over a decade at the forefront of AI innovation, and we are firm believers that AI can help employers hire smarter and jobseekers find better, more fulfilling jobs. We are excited to see that the government recognises AI’s transformative potential as well, and we look forward to seeing how these reforms unfold this year as the nation works towards achieving an 80% employment rate.”

Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern said, “Jobcentres have the power to be one of the biggest recruiters and we are determined to make sure any business struggling to recruit can make the most of our experts who can match them with local talent.

“That’s why we will overhaul Jobcentres, so they are a genuine employment support service, ensuring employers of all sizes in all parts of the country have the workforce they need both now and into the future.”

Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray added, “These new figures show that it is still taking too long to fill vacancies in Scotland. Ensuring people find and stay in meaningful jobs is central to our Plan for Change to grow the economy and raise living standards.

“That’s why our Get Britain Working strategy involves a massive overhaul of Jobcentres, changing the whole service so that people feel genuinely supported into good jobs and get help to progress in their careers.

“We want them to be the first port of call for employers looking to recruit quality staff. In Scotland, this means working with the Scottish Government to make sure services work in tandem with skills development and apprenticeship schemes to maximise the benefit to everyone looking for work and opportunity.”