Job seekers in Peterborough are being warned not to expect the traditional Christmas bonanza of retail and hospitality vacancies.

The warning comes from employment experts who say the seasonal extravaganza of job openings in shops, pubs and restaurants has tended to become a thing of the past.

George Bateman, recruitment consultant team leader for Peterborough Jobcentre, said: “The seasonal boom is not what it was.

“For many the cost of employing people has risen and there is a tendency for existing staff to work longer hours.

“There will still be a good number of Christmas jobs but we haven’t really seen the numbers that we used to since the Covid pandemic.

“However, we are seeing a lot more people employed in warehouse jobs across Peterborough and perhaps this reflects the growing trend in online shopping.

Mr Bateman said: “It is a shame that we don’t see the same seasonal recruitment boom with many hundreds of vacancies as these were ideal jobs for people looking to get into the workplace.”

His comments come as new figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show a drop in the overall number of people in Peterborough claiming work-related Universal Credit benefits.

New data shows the number of claimants in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency fell by just 20 people to 5,345 claimants in September compared to the same month last year.

However, over the same time there was an increase of three per cent in the number of people aged 50 plus claiming Universal Credit - up by 35 people to 1,135.

And the number of people aged 18 to 24-years-old claiming Universal Credit rose by four per cent over the same period with claimant numbers also rising by 35 people to 985.

The concerns over vacancies is shared by Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce.

In its latest economic survey of the county, recruitment is a ‘significant concern’ for many companies.

Its quarterly economic survey states: “More than half of respondents attempted to recruit during the previous three months.

"And 74 per cent of those recruiting experienced difficulties.

"Skilled manual and technical roles remain particularly hard to fill, with 56 per cent of respondents reporting difficulties recruiting for these positions.”