Job availability is at six-year high for 71% of the UK 

• Compared to the previous five years, 71% of local authorities have the highest number of job adverts
• Westminster has the largest increase job adverts in 2022 compared to 2021 – a rise of 1036%
• Hartlepool and Mid Suffolk are the only two areas in the UK where job adverts have decreased compared to last year

Job availability is at a six-year high for 71% of the UK, new research has revealed.  

The number of vacancies is at its highest amount since 2017 in more seven out of ten local authority areas across the country.  

The study by A-Plan Insurance analysed ONS data which compared job advert data in January of each year between 2017 and 2022. The study found that 234 out of 331 local authorities have a higher number of vacancies in 2022 than in any of the five previous years.  

On average across the country, the number of job adverts has risen 88% since 2021. 

Westminster, London has seen the largest increase in job adverts – in comparison to 2021, the London borough has seen a 1,036% increase. According to Indeed.com, there are 163,381 job adverts in the area. 

Placing second is Kensington and Chelsea which has seen a 321% increase in job adverts compared to 2021. This area has 166,806 live job adverts on Indeed. 

Redbridge ranks as the area with the third-highest increase in job adverts since 2021, at an increase of 265% with 154,771 jobs currently available. 

Coming in fourth is Malvern Hills with a 250% climb in job adverts compared to 2021 and 17,151 currently on Indeed.com. 

In fifth place is Lewes which sees a 226% increase in job adverts posted in 2022 in comparison to 2021, with 19,846 jobs currently advertised online. 

Broxtowe places sixth with a rise of 209% in 2022, while South Gloucestershire has seen the seventh-largest increase of 208%. 

Barking and Dagenham, and Blaby place joint eighth with an uptick in job adverts of 205%. 

Coming in ninth is Wandsworth with a 198% increase in job adverts.  

North Devon ranks as having the tenth highest increase of job adverts since 2021 at 192%. In 2022, this area saw a 196% increase in job adverts from the previous year. 

Top 10
Rank	Local Authority	% increase in job adverts from 2021 to 2022
1	Westminster	1,036
2	Kensington and Chelsea	321
3	Redbridge	265
4	Malvern Hills	250
5	Lewes	226
6	Broxtowe	209
7	South Gloucestershire	208
8	Blaby	205
8	Barking and Dagenham	205
9	Wandsworth	198
10	North Devon	196

At the other end of the scale, the area seeing the lowest increase in job adverts is Hartlepool where job adverts have in fact decreased 18% from last year. 

The second-lowest increase is seen in Mid Suffolk, which has seen a decrease of 1%. 

Hounslow has the third-lowest increase of a mere 2% in 2022 compared to 2021. 

Isle of Wight ranks as having the fourth lowest rise in job adverts in 2022 with an increase of 9%. 

Staffordshire Moorlands has the fifth-lowest with jump of 11% since 2021. 

Placing as the sixth lowest is East Lothian, which has seen a 12% increase in job adverts. 

The area with the seventh-lowest increase in job adverts is Lincoln with a 17% difference compared to 2021.  

In eighth place is West Oxfordshire which has seen a 19% increase in job adverts when comparing 2022 to 2021. 

Ranking as the ninth-lowest increase in job adverts is South Norfolk with a 22% increase. 

The tenth lowest increase in job adverts is Blaenau Gwent with a 23% increase in job adverts since 2021.  

Bottom 10
Local Authority	% increase in job adverts from 2021 to 2022
Hartlepool	-18
Mid Suffolk	-1
Hounslow	2
Isle of Wight	9
Staffordshire Moorlands	11
East Lothian	12
Lincoln	17
West Oxfordshire	19
South Norfolk	22
Blaenau Gwent	23

Commenting on the figures, a spokesperson for A-Plan Insurance said: “After the height of the pandemic, areas started to rebuild and this may explain why we are seeing a large spike in some areas of the UK in job adverts this year. Over the past year, there has been a large shift to remote working, which may be something people are seeking out more and more. As concerns rise about the cost of living crisis and inflation, it is at least encouraging to see that there is plenty of work available for those who are searching for a job.” 

The research was carried out by A-Plan Insurance, which has more than 100 branches nationwide and also has multiple job opportunities across its branch network. The company, established in the 1960s, provides a personalised service to more than 900,000 policy holders.