Vacancy Statistics 2022/2023
Philip McCurley
Employment Vacancies Notified to the Department for Communities
Data for Quarter Two 2023/24 Financial Year
An Official
Statistics publication
Published by:
Professional Services Unit, Department for Communities
Coverage: Northern Ireland
Frequency: Quarterly
Publication Date: 01 November 2023
Key Points
A summary of the key points in quarter two (July-September) 2023/24
are as follows -
There were 13,431 vacancies notified to DfC, an increase of 1,795 (15%) from the previous quarter- the first quarter (April-June) of 2023/24, it should be noted seasonal factors can affect vacancy trends.
There were 8,306 full-time vacancies (62%), 4,111 part-time vacancies (31%) and 1,014 casual vacancies (8%).
The most frequently notified occupation types for vacancies were ‘Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations’ with 4,527 vacancies (34%), ‘Elementary Occupations’ with 2,379 vacancies (18%) and ‘Sales and Customer Service Occupations’ with 1,250 vacancies (9%).
The industry type with the largest number of notified vacancies was ‘Human Health & Social Work’, accounting for 3,642 vacancies (27%), followed by ‘Administrative & Support Service’ (3,236 vacancies, 24%) and ‘Other Services’ (2,930 vacancies, 22%).
The Jobs and Benefit Offices (JBOs) with the largest numbers of vacancies were Shaftesbury Square with 1,298 (10%), Holywood Road with 1,238 (9%), Portadown with 1,129 (8%), Belfast North with 706 (5%) and Enniskillen with 657 (5%).
28% of vacancies were in the most deprived 20% of areas in Northern Ireland.
Introduction
This statistical factsheet, which is published three times a year
(along with a more detailed annual
bulletin), presents key information on employment vacancies which
have been notified to the Department for Communities (DfC). The
information is taken from the Department’s vacancy management service
(JobApplyNI) which is a free
website developed by DfC that offers a service for organisations
advertising vacancies and for jobseekers searching and applying for
jobs.
The statistics presented here do not relate to the total
unsatisfied demand for staff by employers, but to only those vacant
positions that have been notified by employers to DfC.
Supplementary tables accompanying this publication are available on the
DfC
website.
Quarterly Statistics and Trends
Trend Data
Employment vacancies for quarter two 2023/24 saw a 15% increase from the previous quarter (quarter one 2023/24 ) and a 17% decline from quarter two 2022/23 (see notes section regarding commentary on factors impacting vacancy trends).
Vacancy Type
In quarter two 2023/24 some 62% of vacancies were full-time, while 31% related to part-time and 8% represented casual vacancies.
Figure 1: Notified Vacancies by Vacancy Type, Quarter Two 2023/24
Occupation Type
The chart below (Figure 2) presents the Standard Occupational Classification 2020 (SOC 2020), which is used to organise vacancies notified to DfC into job groups according to skill level and skill specialisation. Further information, including definitions relating to the Standard Occupational Classification (2020) can be found via the links in the notes section.
Figure 2: Notified Vacancies by SOC (2020) Group Titles, Quarter Two 2023/24
Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations covers occupations whose tasks involve the provision of a service to customers, whether in a public protective or personal care capacity. (e.g. care of sick, elderly and infirm; care of children, personal care).
Industry Type
The Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC 2007) is used to
organise vacancies notified to DfC by the type of economic activity in
which they are engaged into 21 categories. Vacancies are assigned the
SIC 2007 code of the employer that notified them. Further information,
including definitions, relating to the SIC 2007 can be found via the
links in the notes section.
The industry type with the largest number of notified vacancies was
‘Human Health & Social Work’, accounting for 3,642 vacancies (27%),
followed by ‘Administrative & Support Service’ (3,236 vacancies,
24%) and ‘Other Services’ (2,930 vacancies, 22%).
The top 5 industrial classifications make up 83% (11,151) of the total number of vacancies notified in this quarter.
Figure 3: Notified Vacancies by SIC (2007) Section (Top 5), Quarter Two 2023/24
Human Health and Social Work Activities covers health care provided
by trained medical professionals in hospitals and other facilities, to
residential care activities that still involve a degree of health care
activities and to social work activities not involving the services of
health care professionals.
Jobs and Benefits Office
The map below (Figure 4) presents vacancies assigned to Jobs and Benefit Offices (JBOs). The purpose is not to rank JBOs by the number of notified vacancies, but rather to gain an understanding of the spread of notified vacancies at a local level.
Figure 4: Notified Vacancies by Jobs and Benefit Office, Quarter Two 2023/24
In the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year the JBOs with the largest numbers of vacancies were Shaftesbury Square with 1,298 (10%), Holywood Road with 1,238 (9%), Portadown with 1,129 (8%), Belfast North with 706 (5%) and Enniskillen with 657 (5%).
Deprivation
The NI Deprivation Measure (2017) divides Northern Ireland into 890
super output areas. Each area is assigned a rank according to its level
of deprivation, 1 being the most deprived and 890 the least. Further
information on the Deprivation Measures can be found in the notes
section.
In the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year 28% of vacancies were listed in the 20% most deprived areas while 20% of vacancies were located in the 20% least deprived areas.
Figure 5: Notified Vacancies by NIMDM, Quarter Two 2023/24
Notes
Background
This publication presents statistics on employment vacancies notified
to Department for Communities (DfC) in quarter two 2023/24
(July-September). The information is taken from the department’s vacancy
service JobApplyNI which went
live on 31 March 2022, replacing the previous vacancy service and
websites. JobApplyNI is a free website developed by DfC which offers a
service for organisations advertising vacancies and for jobseekers
searching and applying for jobs.
The previous legacy vacancy management system used the Client
Management System (CMS) and two associated websites (Employers Online
website and Jobseekers Online website).The time series from the previous
system ran from 2014/15 to 2021/22 due to improvements which were made
to the methodology for recording and validating data on vacancies in
2013. The introduction of JobApplyNI has led to further efficiencies in
notifying vacancy statistics.
JobApplyNI allows for more enhanced systematic validations
(e.g. identification of rejected vacancies) and allows for presentation
of updated SOC (2020) codes and as such caution should be exercised when
comparing data from 2022/23 onwards with that from previous
years.
Coverage
The relevant data are extracted from the JobApplyNI system each month
to form a vacancies database which is maintained by the Department’s
Professional Services Unit. The data presented in this statistical
report are derived from the vacancies database. Ongoing validation work
and changes made to this live database may result in data revisions.
These revisions are performed transparently, as soon as practicable and
in accordance with T3.9 of the UK Statistics Authority
Code of Practice for Statistics.Professional Services Unit’s
statistical practice is regulated by an independent body (Office for
Statistics Regulation).
This factsheet presents vacancies notified to DfC. The statistics
presented do not relate to total unsatisfied demand for staff by
employers, only those vacant positions notified by employers to the
Department.
Trends
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces monthly analysis of
vacancy
statistics but NI companies are not approached because of the risk
of overlap with other surveys conducted by NI Departments. Estimates for
the UK are derived by weighing up the data for Great Britain using
employment estimates (NI accounts for around 3% of UK employment).
Labour market conditions impact vacancy trends, for example, the 2021/22
financial year saw record number of UK vacancies with the economy
recovering from the impact of the pandemic but there have been 15
successive monthly declines in vacancy numbers, as reported in October
2023. Seasonal factors can also impact vacancy figures in-year
e.g. September would traditionally see higher levels of vacancies as
employers recruit in preparation for the festive season with December
vacancies relatively lower in comparison.
Methodology and Definitions
UK Standard Occupational Classification 2020 (SOC 2020):
DfC assigns each vacancy the SOC 2020 code which best reflects the
main duties of the post. Vacancies are broken down by the nine SOC 2020
Major Group levels. Examples and information can be found in the SOC
2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups - Office for
National Statistics.
UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 2007 (SIC 2007):
Employers are assigned the SIC 2007 code which best reflects their
dominant activity by DfC. All vacancies are assigned the SIC 2007 code
of the notifying employer. Vacancies are broken down by SIC 2007 section
level. Information about SIC 2007 is available in the UK
Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 2007 (SIC
2007): Structure and Explanatory Notes.
Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2017 (NIMDM 2017)
The NIMDM 2017 is the official measure of deprivation in Northern Ireland and provides a relative measure of deprivation for geographical areas. NIMDM 2017 gives an overall measure of seven types of deprivation:
- Income Deprivation
- Employment Deprivation
- Health Deprivation & Disability
- Education, Skills & Training Deprivation
- Access to Services
- Living Environment
- Crime & Disorder
Northern Ireland’s 890 Super Output Areas (SOA) are ranked in terms of deprivation level, which in turn, are grouped into five equal bands known as quintiles. Vacancy statistics are presented by these quintile bands: ranks 1-178 (most deprived), ranks 179-356, ranks 357-534, ranks 535-712 and ranks 713-890 (least deprived). Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure ranks are based on the Super Output Area (SOA) classification of the vacancy. SOA classifications are assigned to vacancies using the Central Postcode Directory (July 2023) based on the postcode of the employer’s account. When a valid employer’s account postcode is not available, the postcode of the vacancy is used. Although an employer’s account is within a particular SOA, the job may be based elsewhere in Northern Ireland, in the UK or in the Republic of Ireland.