The number of active job postings in the UK fell slightly during the week to June 4 but remained above two million as firms leave adverts open for longer than normal.

Latest figures from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) put the number of active postings at 2.03 million, a 2.4 per cent decrease from the previous week, but still well above the same period a year earlier when there were just shy of 1.5 million active job postings.

High vacancy rates have been supported by the fact that firms are taking longer than usual to hire, with the number of new job postings at 179,395 down 17.3% on the previous week and 12.1% on the same period a year earlier. However, the REC cautioned against drawing too many comparisons from this data because of the distortions of various bank holidays.

Occupations with notable increases in job adverts on the previous week included market research interviewers, water and sewerage plant operatives, and postal workers, mail sorters, messengers and couriers. Moulders, core makers and die casters, vehicle paint technicians, and air-conditioning and refrigeration engineers roles also saw high growth.

On the other hand, dispensing opticians, podiatrists, parking and civil enforcement occupations, hospital porters, and solicitors saw the biggest weekly decline in job adverts.

“Even if there are some signs of caution from employers in the face of economic uncertainty, shortages mean many firms are still hiring – and taking longer to do so," REC chief executive Neil Carberry said. "That is why we see so many live job adverts today by comparison to last year."

Scotbeef: Hundreds of Scottish jobs transfer to Ireland's ABP

 

Family-owned meat processor Scotbeef has sold two of its facilities employing hundreds of people to Ireland’s ABP Foods.

The abattoir at Bridge of Allan near Stirling and a meat packing facility at Queenslie in Glasgow will become part of ABP’s UK meat division, which includes an existing processing facility in Perth. The deal, which has been completed for an undisclosed sum, is expected to close at the end of July.

Cost-cutting helps online retailer Asos back to profit

 

Online fashion retailer Asos saw its shares soar as it returned to profit in the three months to the end of May amid a grim economic backdrop and a squeeze on consumer spending.

Investors seemed convinced by chief executive José Antonio Ramos Calamonte’s insistence that the ailing retailer is recovering from its recent poor performance although it still reported an expected 14% slump in sales.