Recruitment and hiring insights: August 2024

As we've entered a new month, and the renewed energy that September brings, we want to reflect on the last month of recruitment insights.

August was, as expected, slower than previous months but still on a steady level compared to previous years. This is largely due to many business leaders and candidates heading on holiday, spending time with children during the summer break, and the longer hours meaning more individuals spending time away from their desks.

Across the market, the average salary was down on previous months, but it is too early to say whether this is a trend we will see for the rest of the year.

Regional vacancies are also down by 7% on the previous month and 7% on the last three. Interestingly, LinkedIn saw the biggest decline in available roles, down by 13% with roughly 2,000 roles available across the South West.

On the flip side, there are some particular highlights we wanted to share.

50% of our placements in August came from candidates who didn't apply for the role, instead they were sourced and matched by our expert team.

Our CV to 1st interview remains strong at 2:1 and 1st interview to placement stands at 3:1.

What is good about August is that it gives us time to check-in with our approach, ensuring we continue to meet the high standards we set for ourselves. We are so proud to have over 360 five-star reviews on Google from candidates working with our team of talented recruiters.

In the news, we have also seen a rise in conversations around four-day weeks and discussions around remote/hybrid/onsite working.

Next month, we expect to see the market rise in activity as both hiring managers and candidates seek to settle in new hires before the festive season.

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