Jersey recruitment boom as highly skilled people look to change jobs

The latest States of Jersey Actively Seeking Work (ASW) report shows the strong recovery of the jobs market in Jersey following the pandemic.

Less than 1000 Islanders are registered as unemployed for the first time since before the pandemic. Third quarter figures indicate 990 Islanders are registered as actively seeking work, 590 less than the same time last year and 70 down on the previous quarter.

This echoes strong demand seen by recruitment agencies, especially for key financial services positions where there is a ‘boom’ in candidates looking to change jobs.

In a recent poll by Kendrick Rose, 34% of people said they were already looking for a new job, 14% said they planned to start their job search within the next 12 months, and 12% said they were ‘maybe’ considering looking for a new position.

Research by Reed in the UK found that six in 10 Londoners were open to a new job. Shelley Kendrick, Managing Director, Kendrick Rose, said: “The number of candidates coming through who are not currently employed and who are looking for work has dropped as we have
come out of the pandemic and the jobs market has strengthened. Most candidates we see are already in work and looking to change jobs, rather than finding themselves between jobs. Indeed, since the end of the summer we have seen something of a boom in candidates looking to change jobs.

“Last year there was less job security, and some candidates came forward either because they faced redundancy or because they anticipated job losses. Once again, most people we see are looking for new roles to advance their careers, or to achieve a better work life balance, rather than because they feared being out of work.”

Of those registered ASW for September 2021, just 14% listed their previous employment as ‘Banking, Miscellaneous Insurance, Finance and Business.’