Within a week of coming to power, Starmer committed to stand with Ukraine, for as long as it takes. As part of that he then committed to new package of artillery and brimstone missiles to be delivered shortly, as well as placing a new order for soviet era ammunition, to help bolster Ukraine’s defences. Hence, the bounce seen across the UK economy in July, was most pronounced in Aerospace & Defence, with vacancies rising month to month by over 40%, and hitting levels last seen in November last year.
For everyone involved in IT recruitment, the burst of activity seen in July was a welcome relief, as vacancies ended up hitting levels not seen since Q1. Indeed, the final total for the month, was the third highest since April 2023. Nonetheless, the pragmatists will recognize that the general election being announced in May, resulted in many businesses deferring investment decisions, including hiring, until after the result, which had meant that Q2 was materially quieter than Q1. So the burst in July could just be the result of that pent up demand being recognized.
Analysis shows that SAP vacancies are projected to decrease by 34.1% in 2024 compared to 2023 (comparatively, in the 2022 to 2023 data analysis, vacancies decreased by 2.1%). Similarly, regional SAP vacancies are on track for two consecutive years of decline. This trend decline in SAP hiring reflects the broader slowdown impacting the technology sector as it adapts to the transition to a more rigid financial discipline.
The deceleration of tech-centric sectors in London during 2023 mirrors the broader downturn experienced across the UK, with IT vacancies plummeting by 50.5% in the capital compared to 36.3% regionally. Hence the fact that demand for IT professionals has fallen 42.8% compared to the peaks seen in 2022, is a temporary blip.
First ARM relists to the NASDAQ and sees their share price double since their IPO. Now more companies are being targeted as the UK struggles to compete in a new world order, where it is no longer able to operate as the financial services capital of the EU.
