The number of job vacancies in the county has increased to more than 30,000 – up nearly a third in just a month.
Latest figures show that in Stoke-on-Trent the number of unfilled positions had leapt by 34 per cent to 8,700. This is just above the number of work-related benefit claimants (8,510).
In the rest of Staffordshire, the number of vacancies jumped up 26 per cent to 21,900 between December and January compared to the previous month. This is far higher than the number of work-related benefit claimants (14,700).
The figures obtained by Staffordshire County Council once again demonstrate the labour market shortage crisis in the UK and the need for upskilling and training.
Sectors that have seen the most significant increases during January in Staffordshire include social care (care workers and home carers), hospitality (kitchen and catering assistants), logistics (van drivers and elementary storage occupations), manufacturing (science, engineering and production technicians) and health (nurses and nursing auxiliaries and assistants).
There is also high demand for computer programmers and software development professionals as well as accountants, book-keepers, payroll managers and human resources officers.
According to county council Economy and Skills Analyst Darren Farmer, the big rise was partly reflective of the traditional Christmas lull in the number of job adverts being posted.
However, he added: “It also clearly shows that overall recruitment demand remains strong with new job postings higher than a year before and higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“It is in the areas of the economy where job vacancies remain very high that we are hearing the most reports of labour and skills shortages with not enough workers or skills to fill the vacant jobs,” Darren said.
“This has the potential to slow down economic growth and limit business survival unless the labour shortage and skills gap is quickly and effectively addressed.
“It is clear that there continues to be a very high number of jobs available in the local economy and the need now is to ensure that there is a strong local labour pool with skilled workers able to fill these roles to support business recovery and improve their own prosperity through better pay.”
Darren went on to point out that analysts believe the trend will not continue, however.
Sara Williams, above, Chief Executive of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said there was a clear need to train and upskill people to meet the urgent employment requirements of companies.
She said: “The number of vacancies shows that businesses across the county are looking to expand and that is something to be optimistic about.
“However, we need to help them recruit the right people and provide potential employees with the right skills to be qualified for these jobs.
“By working with charities, further education colleges, training providers and universities there are a wealth of courses and skills’ opportunities that can help.
“This is absolutely crucial because if we could fill these roles, the economy will grow exponentially.”
