Vacancies for vehicle technicians are among the most advertised jobs in Peterborough, new figures show

Vacancies for vehicle technicians and mechanics are among the moist advertised and in-demand jobs in Peterborough, according to new figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show vacancies for vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians and also for metalworking production and maintenance fitters were the most advertised positions in Peterborough between April and June this year, each making up 2.2 per cent of live adverts.

They were followed by book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks (1.8 per cent).

And the figures also show that the numbers of adverts per 1,000 people in Peterborough has risen since the pandemic.

There were five adverts per 100 people in August – up from 3.5 in 2019, before the pandemic.

It is ahead of the national trend where the level of UK job adverts is similar to pre-pandemic levels at 3.4 adverts per 100 working-age people in August.

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

Across the UK, the most advertised roles were care worker and home carer, which made up 2.3 percent of job adverts although the number of these adverts has fallen by 23 percent since 2023.

Adverts for HGV drivers almost doubled in the past year, while early education and childcare practitioners jumped 58 per cent.

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."

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.