Advertised wages at three-year low as number of vacancies rise

SALARIES in job adverts are at their lowest for more than three years as the number of vacancies continues to rise, new research shows.

The average advertised wage is £32,100, the lowest since April 2014, after a fall of 1.5% over the past year, said jobs site Adzuna.

Average advertised salaries have fallen by 3.3% in south-east England since a year ago, although have increased by 2.3% in Northern Ireland, the study found.

Graduate salaries are up by 3.6% at an average of almost £24,500.

Adzuna said the “strain” on incomes is expected to get worse as the cost of living is rising faster than wage growth.

The number of job vacancies increased by over 6% to 1.2 million compared to last year, and employment could benefit from a Brexit boost in productivity, said Adzuna.

Vacancies for jobs in the hospitality industry increased by 20% as more people holidayed in the UK.

Doug Monro, of Adzuna, said: “The forecast for the jobs market seems to be continued dry spells of poor wage growth that will cause a drought in the labour market for the foreseeable future. However, sunny spells could lie ahead if certain Brexit predictions come to fruition and the national output is boosted.

“Adzuna data shows there are a growing number of advertised vacancies available for skilled workers and jobseekers should make the most of the opportunity.”