Figures released today, Thursday 10^th December, by the academic jobs recruitment site jobs.ac.uk not only reflect the depth of retrenchment and caution in UK higher education and research institutions but also now show clear, strong signs of a growing return of confidence across the sector.

Paul Brewster, Director of the University of Warwick’s Warwick Employment Group which operates jobs.ac.uk said:

“It will be no surprise that as an organisation we saw the number of new roles advertised overall by higher education and research institutions slump from just over 6000 active job adverts in most months of 2019 to a low of just 2154 active adverts in April of this year.”

“However it is a more than welcome surprise to also see that those figures are now giving clear and strong signs of recovery and returning confidence in the sector, and that that turnaround actually began as early as June of this year.”

“While those numbers have not complete recovered November 2020 saw almost twice as many active adverts of higher education and research roles than at the peak of the pandemics impact on the sector’s confidence in April.”

Table of active jobs adverts on jobs.ac.uk from UK Higher education and research.

 

Nov 2019	6525
Dec 2019	5180
Jan 2020	6463
Feb 2020	6108
Mar 2020	4625
Apr 2020	2154
May 2020	2359
Jun 2020	3335
Jul 2020	3887
Aug 2020	3779
Sep 2020	3964
Oct 2020	4993
Nov 2020	5288

Note for editors

Launched in January 1998 by the University of Warwick, jobs.ac.uk has grown to become the top recruitment site in its sector, attracting the most qualified and talented people from the UK, Europe and across the world.

 

For further information please contact:

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Media Relations, University of Warwick: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

10th December 2020