The number of job adverts in the UK has hit a new record of over 3.5 million in the run-up to Christmas according to a new report.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said that 210,000 new job adverts were posted in the UK last week alone. After three of the best weeks for new adverts on record – over 270,000 new adverts were posted in the first week of November.

According to the data, there was a particular rise in demand last week for Scaffolders, dentists and vets as the UK’s labour shortage shows no sign of easing.

Evidence of the growth in job ads can also be seen on our own Scaffolding Jobs Board with many scaffolding businesses rushing to hire staff ahead of Christmas.

Well-known industry firms like WellMax, Rilmac, JDC, MR Scaffolding and QFS are all urgently seeking qualified scaffolders for a flurry of new projects across the UK.

The ongoing labour shortages had been predicted previously with the CBI in September fearing the shortages could last for years.

REC’s new report shows that scaffolder job adverts increased by 6.9% and five out of the UK’s top ten hiring hotspots were in Scotland last week.

Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said: “The growth in job adverts shows no signs of slowing as we reach the Christmas peak. We’ll have to wait and see how this week’s news on the Omicron variant affects the market.

“More broadly, this is very much a candidate’s market now. Firms need to think about how they will attract staff facing greater competition than ever before. Professional recruiters are a vital tool for businesses at times like these, helping them to find the best staff by reviewing their workforce plans and reaching out to new pools of candidates.

Government can help by working with business organisations on skills, immigration and unemployment policies that boost labour supply, helping businesses grow and the UK to prosper.”