The Google culture has soured in recent times but perks provided by the firm have been renowned for years and given exposure by films like The Internship. And the tech giant is arguably a contributor for increased expectations of employers as the concept of workplace perks has been normalised. Based on that, recruitment is a fierce battle to win fresh talent but it seems some locations are having a rather easy hiring experience.
Indeed, applications to new jobs have surged by 9.3% year-on-year, according to job board CV-Library, which conducted a recruitment market study in May 2019 versus May 2018. Bristol topped the list of ten UK cities experiencing the largest growth of applicants with a rise of 28%.
Open Bionics is an example of a Bristol-based business that’s thriving on the area in which it resides. With its 3D-printed arms designed for children and adults, it’s fair to say the company needs very special talent. In a previous interview with Elite Business, Open Bionics’ co-founder and COO Samantha Payne said of the firm’s location: “We’re quite lucky because we’re based in Bristol, which is a hub for engineering. Whenever we have something going, we’re really lucky to receive a lot of applications.”
Following on from the West Country, there was business representation from the Midlands, the capital and the Northern Powerhouse as Leicester, London and Manchester also spiked.
The full list of ten UK cities experiencing an job application boom revealed:
(1) Bristol – 28% increase
(2) Leicester – 26.1% increase
(3) London – 15% increase
(4) Manchester – 11.3% increase
(5) Birmingham – 10.4% increase
(6) Cardiff – 8.8% increase
(7) Portsmouth – 6% increase
(8) Southampton – 3.9% increase
(9) Edinburgh – 2.9% increase
(10) Glasgow – 1.3% increase
The research also showed that in addition to growth of job applications, overall salaries have also risen by 4.1% and the number of jobs advertised has grown by 3.7%, which will have undoubtedly been contributing factors to encourage people to fire out their CVs.
Commenting on the research, Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, said: “It seems that businesses have got a fantastic few months ahead. Candidates remain undeterred by political upheaval in the UK and have been busy with applying to newly advertised roles in a number of key locations across the country.
“While many of us assume that the job market quietens down in the summer months, this could actually be the best time to start your candidate search. Our data shows that the job market is continuing to grow year-on-year. With Britain due to leave the EU on October 31, now’s the time to get ahead of the game and find highly skilled candidates to plug the skills gap left by the reduced amount of EU migrants.”
The numbers speak for themselves and seemingly now is the prime time to ensure that, as the weather gets hotter, so too should recruitment strategies. 
