More Job Opportunities for West Midlands

9 May 2014, 07:48 | Updated: 9 May 2014, 07:51

The number of jobs across the West Midlands has gone up by 13% in the first three months of the year compared to last year.

Research from Totaljobs says despite this, the competition for every job has also increased with about 19 people applying for every position that is advertised in the region. 

They've looked at over 5.2 million jobseekers and 5,000 recruiters and say the travel, leisure and tourism sector has seen the biggest rise in job postings with an increase of 39%.

Another booming industry in the region is banking, insurance and finance which has seen jobs growth of 25%.

Roma Aitken from Total Jobs says “The fact that the West Midlands is creating jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the UK is a cause of celebration and testament to the region’s resilience. As the economy improves, so does businesses’ confidence to take on more staff. However, this also means jobseeker confidence improves which leads to stiffer competition for every job. We are seeing more candidates applying for positions who are looking to progress their careers rather coming from unemployment and settling for any job.”

The UK as a whole has seen an 8% rise in the number of job opportunities.