New figures reveal most advertised jobs in Bedford

It comes as the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the figures reflect a more stable labour market after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show vacancies for vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians were the most advertised jobs in Bedford between April and June this year, making up 2.3% of live adverts.

This was followed by metal-working production and maintenance fitters (2.2%) and care workers and home carers (2.1%).

Across the UK, the most advertised roles were care worker and home carer – making up 2.3% of job ads. However, the number of these adverts has fallen by 23% since 2023.

Meanwhile, adverts for HGV drivers almost doubled in the past year, while early education and childcare practitioners jumped 58%.

The ONS said the level of UK job adverts has been gradually declining since late 2021, and is now similar to pre-pandemic levels at 3.4 adverts per 100 working-age people in August.

In Bedford, there were 3.8 adverts per 100 people in August – up from 2.8 in 2019, before the pandemic.

Max Mosley, senior economist at NIESR, said: "While we would normally be worried about declining job adverts, this more reflects a stabilising labour market after the pandemic than anything to be too concerned about."

He added an increase in the number of people taking early retirement, more workers resigning to upskill, high sickness absence rates, and international workers leaving the UK led to the surge in vacancies in 2021.

"This mismatch between high demand for workers and low supply led to three years of elevated job postings, as companies had to hire more aggressively to find available workers," he continued.

"Since then, the labour market has cooled, and job postings have fallen back to reflect a more stable market."

Despite the return to a more stable job market, a mismatch in demand and supply in the financial and wholesale sectors remains, he added.

The ONS also used data on local skills, based on individuals' employment history, to analyse how many adverts could have been filled by people in the area.

In Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, there were 50,005 job posts in 2023. About 52.7% matched the skills of at least one person in the area who was not already working in the role.