This is how Edinburgh and Glasgow's job markets have been hit by coronavirus

The job markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, as vacancy postings dropped by 18.5 per cent and 20 per cent respectively last month.

The study by independent job board CV-Library, which explores job market data from March 2020 and compares this with figures from February 2020 and the same period in 2019, also reveals that key cities across the UK experienced an above-average drop in job vacancies month-on-month, including:

Leicester (down 21.8%)

Glasgow (down 20.3%)

The job markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak

Exeter (down 19.7%)

Brighton (down 19.4%)

Edinburgh (down 18.5%)

Leeds (down 17.7%)

Hull (down 17.5%)

Southampton (down 16.4%)

Aberdeen (down 16.3%)

Nottingham (down 15.8%)

The findings show that the administration (-39.1%), leisure and tourism (-38.9%), media (-36.8%), marketing (-36.6%) and design (-35.7%) sectors also witnessed a significant drop in vacancies. When looking at applications, the industries that experienced the biggest drops were leisure and tourism (-29.9%), administration (-24.1%), marketing (-23.4%), consulting (-21%) and catering (-18.6%).

Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library comments: “It’s not surprising that the outbreak of COVID-19 has prevented businesses from moving forward with their hiring plans. With global supply chains disrupted and many organisations forced to close their doors in order to respect social distancing rules, companies have had to change the way they operate and adapt to this new normal. Sadly, this has involved placing existing employees on furlough and even making redundancies and many professionals are feeling the effects.

“The national unemployment rate is set to soar in April and there’s no doubt that this will be a really tricky time for job seekers across the UK. However, it’s important to use this time to prepare for your job search. Make sure you keep your CV up to date and keep an eye out for opportunities on a regular basis. This isn’t forever and businesses will regain their confidence eventually.”

However, it’s not all bad news. While many industries are struggling, the data shows that job vacancies have increased in key sectors when looking at year-on-year figures. This includes roles in the public sector (up 103.7%), agriculture (up 98.7%), social care (up 17.9%), education (up 2.9%) and distribution (up 2.1%) industries.

Alongside this, the current situation has caused new candidate registrations on the CV-Library site to rise dramatically, with the amount of people registering their CV increasing by 8.1% month-on-month and 11.1% year-on-year.

Biggins continues: “The fact that some industries are still seeing job growth is great news for candidates. That said, many job seekers may still find it tough to find the right role for them and there may be increased competition for these jobs. In the current climate, it’s vital to think outside of the box when it comes to looking for a new role.

“If the industry you normally work in is struggling, be sure to identify your transferrable skills and look to find a role in a different sector that is still performing well. However, in order to be successful, it’s vital that you adapt your CV and cover letter to make sure it’s relevant for the industry and role you’re applying for.”

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