November 2021 saw five times more applications than the previous year 

A national job vacancy survey by CareerWallet has revealed detailed trends and insights into the UK job market. The report has highlighted the huge impact the pandemic has had on the recruitment sector in 2020 as job applications in the last quarter of 2021 were more than three times (369%) higher than the same time last year. 

According to the findings, the massive increase in applications is due to a renewed confidence in the job market and a backlog of employees who stuck out less than perfect roles due to furlough schemes or fears of leaving their roles in the midst of the pandemic. The report revealed that November 2021 was a record month for applications with almost five times as many applications as November 2020 with the surge continuing in December with over three times the applications during the festive period compared to last year. 

The report shows how the market has shifted over the last 12 months as jobseekers are less fearful of the economic impacts of the pandemic. 

Craig Bines, CEO at The CareerWallet Group, commented: “Our national report has highlighted how employees are returning to the job market in their millions across the UK and this number seems to be continuing to rise month on month. The skill shortage issues have been well-documented and as economic fears from the pandemic subside it is now clear that employees are becoming aware of the abundance of new potential jobs available to them.”