Best sectors for current job availability revealed
The latest research from the Global Payroll Alliance (GPA) reveals that power, water, and finance top the list of the UK industries with the most current job vacancies for those in search of their next career move.
The quarterly Job Availability Index from the GPA analyses data from the Office for National Statistics to reveal job availability across the UK and by industry sectors based on the number of vacancies for every 100 occupied jobs.*
The latest index shows that there are 2.2 vacancies for every 100 occupied jobs in the UK. The bad news is that this availability has declined by -0.5 annually.
So which sectors currently offer the most abundant level of opportunity when it comes to securing a new job?
Industries with the most vacancies
The industries that currently have the highest number of vacancies are power (Electricity, Gas, Steam & Air Conditioning), Water (Water Supply, Sewerage, Waste & Remediation), and Finance & Insurance, all of which have 3 vacancies per 100 jobs.
This is followed by Accommodation & Food Service (2.9), Health & Social Work (2.8), and Mining & Quarrying (2.8).
Meanwhile, Education (1.6), Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (1.7), and Retail (1.9) have the fewest vacancies.
Industries with the biggest annual increase in vacancies
Only three UK industries have recorded an annual increase in the number of available vacancies. Water, Finance & insurance, and Wholesale have all seen their scores increase by the slightest margin of +0.1.
All other industries have seen vacancies fall, with the smallest drops seen in the Property Industry (-0.1), Public Admin & Defence (-0.1), and Admin Support Services (-0.3).
The largest annual drops have been recorded in Accommodation & Food (-0.8), Motor Trades (-0.8), Mining & Quarrying (-0.7), and Manufacturing (-0.7)
Melanie Pizzey, CEO and founder of the Global Payroll Alliance, commented: “While the overall number of job vacancies in the UK has declined over the past year, key infrastructure sectors such as power, water, and finance continue to report the highest vacancy rates. This signals ongoing demand for specialist skills and a persistent challenge in filling roles critical to national resilience and economic stability.
As the labour market cools in other areas, organisations in sectors with more vacancies will need to reassess their recruitment and retention strategies to ensure critical roles are filled by qualified people.
This means looking closely at how attractive they are when it comes to salaries and benefits. Employers must also consider how these trends affect the success of long-term operations, particularly when it comes to talent pipelines.”
Data tables and sources