Sharp drop in vacancies

A NEW report by Working Links, which provides an insight into job trends in the North-West, reveals that Oldham has seen a 20 per cent decline in job vacancies year-on-year — the third largest decline in the region.

Based in Sheffield, Working Links looks at the employment situation across the North-West and has produced figures which show which sectors are hiring, and those that are not.

The employment and skills experts combine Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures with evidence from the frontline in the welfare-to-work industry — giving an overall view of the current, and future, employment market.

The organisation runs government contracts helping people to find work or update their skills — it has helped more than 33,000 people into work across the North of England since 2000.

As the UK unemployment level continues to fluctuate — the figure for the North-West recently stood at 277,000 — the figures reveal that the energy sector saw the biggest year-on-year increase in vacancies between February and April.

Working Links is also finding an increasing number of jobs in call centres, telesales and the care industry. Overall, vacancies in the North-West have fallen 2 per cent compared with the same period last year.