We have a better picture of how the UK jobs market looks as we approach Brexit now that all three big UK-listed recruitment firms have reported quarterly results.

At Hays (HAS), the UK’s biggest recruitment firm, UK net fee income was up 3% in the most recent quarter, the same rate as the previous quarter.

At PageGroup (PAGE) UK net fees grew by 2.1%, better than the previous quarter, while at Robert Walters (RWA) UK net fees were up 2% against 4% in the previous quarter.

For Hays, the public sector is the main driver with permanent hiring up sharply on last year. The NHS is a major client with Hays supplying IT professionals to the service at all levels.

Demand from private businesses has been more or less flat for both permanent and temporary staff. However chief executive Paul Venables points out that ‘candidate confidence is improving’ for professional roles.

Companies that have put a hold on hiring due to Brexit uncertainty are finding they don’t have the human resources to replace staff who leave.

PageGroup’s clerical and support staffing business Page Personnel has been a big driver for its earnings with fees up 12% in its latest quarter and 17% in the previous quarter.

By contrast its Michael Page business which is geared towards more senior candidates saw fees fall by 1% last quarter and 4% in the previous quarter.

Areas like the North West are attracting a growing number of professionals, helping to increase overall wage inflation.

Hays reported a 14% increase in fees from the North West in its most recent quarter compared with 3% growth in London and an 8% fall in the South East.

The other recruiters don’t give specific details but they confirm that growth in the regions and the North West in particular is putting London in the shade.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), average weekly earnings for full-time workers and some part-time workers have been rising at a faster rate since last summer than in the previous three years.

Earnings growth has now topped 3.5%, the fastest rate since 2008, with the highest earnings growth being recorded in the lowest-paid jobs. Earnings for those ‘in continuous employment’, or in other words those people who didn’t change jobs, rose by over 5% last year according to the ONS.

Overall the reports from the recruitment firms and figures on wage growth suggest that despite the uncertainty over Brexit, UK firms are still hiring. London and the South East may no longer be the driving force but the North West and other regions seem more than able to pick up the slack.

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