![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Adzuna-job-site-search.png\")
Competition for jobs is at its highest in more than four years with Scotland recording the steepest month-on-month decline in vacancies in December, falling 8.36% compared with November.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the UK there are now 2.3 jobseekers vying for every advertised vacancy. North East England was the only area to see the number of roles increase,up 1.09%.<\/p>\n
The overall decline was the sixth consecutive monthly fall, according to the latest figures from job matching platform Adzuna. High inflation, economic uncertainty and the rising use of AI continue to impact hiring activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adzuna data shows vacancies in December fell 3.84% month-on-month to 716,791 jobs and 15.09% below December 2024\u2019s levels. This represented the lowest average vacancy levels of any full year since 2020, making it one of the worst years for jobseekers since the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
With hiring slowing, employers are cutting back on remote roles and demanding greater office presence, pulling advertised remote jobs to their lowest level since March 2020. <\/p>\n
There were 45,581 advertised remote job ads in December, down -42% annually. Meanwhile, there\u2019s an uptick in office-based job ads, even though advertised hybrid roles continue to climb steadily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There were green shoots of growth for those entering the market for the first time. After a turbulent year, graduate vacancies rose 3.9% monthly in December, while broader entry-level jobs also saw a boost, jumping 18.3% month-on-month. Both sectors are still down on 2024 (34.6% graduates; 13% entry-level).<\/p>\n
Another positive signal is the ongoing growth of wages seen throughout 2025. Adzuna\u2019s data shows the average UK salary rose 6.77% annually to \u00a342,991 in December, up 0.71% on the month before. This means annual salaries have been growing steadily for a record 43 months, since May 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the general fall, advertised salaries continued to rise across every region on both a monthly and annual basis in December.<\/p>\n
Wales recorded the strongest annual pay growth at 11.41%, followed by Scotland (8.63%) and London (7.48%). This means annual salaries in Wales have risen consistently by double digits since last January.\u00a0<\/p>\n
London remains the highest-paying part of the country, with average advertised salaries at \u00a349,564, making it the only region with pay levels above the UK average and on track to be the first to surpass the \u00a350,000 mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Advertised salaries\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Confidence falls<\/strong><\/p>\n Firms across the private sector once again expect activity to fall in the next three months, according to the CBI\u2019s latest Growth Indicator.\u00a0Nonetheless, this\u00a0pessimism has\u00a0eased somewhat, with growth expectations at their least negative in three months.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alpesh Paleja, CBI\u00a0deputy chief\u00a0economist, said:\u00a0 \u201cThe UK economy has not experienced a strong start to 2026. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile there are tentative signs of stabilisation and resilience in some\u00a0specific\u00a0areas, the big picture\u00a0remains\u00a0similar to much of last year:\u00a0businesses\u00a0remain\u00a0cautious, households are downtrading and\u00a0confidence is still\u00a0fragile.\u00a0Recent geopolitical tensions will only have\u00a0added to uncertainty\u00a0at the margin.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the government wants to shift the dial, it must focus on the fundamentals of competitiveness. That means lowering the cost of doing business, starting with decisive action on energy costs and streamlining regulation\u00a0to give firms the confidence to invest.\u201d<\/p>\n \t <\/div>\n\n\n
\n Region<\/strong><\/td>\n Average Salary<\/strong><\/td>\n Annual Change<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Wales<\/td>\n \u00a339,936<\/td>\n +11.41%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Scotland<\/td>\n \u00a340,364<\/td>\n +8.63%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n London<\/td>\n \u00a349,564<\/td>\n +7.48%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n South East England<\/td>\n \u00a340,426<\/td>\n +7.42%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Northern Ireland<\/td>\n \u00a342,103<\/td>\n +7.19%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Yorkshire and The Humber<\/td>\n \u00a340,668<\/td>\n +7.09%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n South West England<\/td>\n \u00a340,499<\/td>\n +6.76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n North East England<\/td>\n \u00a339,508<\/td>\n +6.08%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n East Midlands<\/td>\n \u00a339,918<\/td>\n +5.73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Eastern England<\/td>\n \u00a341,387<\/td>\n +5.43%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n West Midlands<\/td>\n \u00a340,881<\/td>\n +4.83%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n North West England<\/td>\n \u00a340,589<\/td>\n +4.33%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n