London Jobs Market Lags Rest of U.K. With 15% Drop in New Roles

(Bloomberg) -- London’s jobs market is lagging the rest of the U.K. with a 15% drop in advertisements for new roles in the past week.

The finding from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation confirms the capital was hardest hit by lockdowns to control the coronavirus. London suffered with shops, bars and restaurants closed until at least the middle of April.

Job postings rose in most regions of England and Wales last week, the REC said. London and Scotland suffered a decline in number of available positions.

Across the country, demand for roofers surged almost 40% week-on-week, as the buoyant property market boosted related occupations. They saw fastest growth in job listings followed by plasters, gardeners and decorators.

“The data also seems to indicate the hospitality sector is potentially starting to gear up for re-opening,” said Matthew Mee, director of workforce intelligence at the labor market researcher Emsi. “While demand volumes are still relatively low, in percentage growth terms this looks significant and is hopefully a sign of things to come.”

The announcement of the government’s planned roadmap for reopening over the coming months also bolstered postings for retail merchandisers and sports and leisure assistants.

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