ADVERTISED job vacancies are at their lowest level since February, while salaries show signs of recovery, according to new data from search engine, Adzuna.
And Northern Ireland reigns supreme in terms of the regional picture, with average pay packets up 6.8 per cent from September 2016 – placing it as the 'best performer' in terms of annual wage growth.
Although vacancies remain low, there are still 1,147,858 in circulation – and retail roles are full of festive cheer, as salaries in this sector rise 7.3 per cent year-on-year.
Domestic help and cleaning jobs proved the worst performing sector in terms of average salary – wages are down 28.9 per cent annually, as the grip on spending tightens.
Meanwhile, UK average salaries are up 0.8 per cent from September to £32,174, but remain 1.7 per cent lower than in October last year.
Co-founder of Adzuna, Doug Monro, said the recent incremental increase could have been prompted by record low unemployment, "forcing employers to rethink salary packages and offer higher advertised salaries in order to attract and retain the best talent".
On the down side, new opportunities for job seekers and employees aren't coming online at the same rate as earlier in the year, with companies such as Sainsbury's cutting 2,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting drive.
And despite recent healthy unemployment figures – and the number of vacancies available – a record low jobless rate hasn’t improved confidence among job seekers and employees.
Research carried out by the New Economics Foundation found two in every five people employed in the UK are in work that doesn’t provide a secure, living wage and which have been labelled as 'bad jobs'.
As a counter balance, Mr Monro said Phillip Hammond’s Budget speech saw him commit to further investment in T-levels and apprenticeships – as well as digital skills and other initiatives –"showing the Government is mindful of the quality of new roles being created and not just the quantity".
He added: "We’ve seen plenty of false starts in terms of salary improvements as incremental increases have been undone in following months.
"Nevertheless, those on the hunt for a new job will be hoping this improvement is for good and not just for Christmas."
