North East employment market continues to suffer at the hands of Osborne’s ‘slash and burn’ approach to public sector recruitment.

New analysis from Venn Group, the contract recruitment specialist, reveals that recruitment in the region has decreased by 12 percent over the last twelve months. This can be attributed to the wide scale jobs cull across the public sector during the period The Coalition has been in power, with estimates suggesting that 1,157 roles have been shed each month alone.

Despite this, however, Venn Group’s analysis reveals that while employers and contractors within the public sector have struggled; those operating within the private sector have fared much better. There has been considerable demand for contractors across the software and technology sector which has been growing rapidly in recent years and is, in fact, already showing early signs of an acute skills shortage. This sentiment is reflected in the recent launch of the North East Tech Skills Hub to help address the skills shortage and ensure the region can maintain its growth. Stan Murray-Hession, Venn Group’s director of operations in the region commented: “While on a first glance our statistics paint a pessimistic picture, it is by no means indicative of the region as a whole performing badly. It is unfortunate that employers and contractors have faced a tough time due to the Government’s job cull across the public sector, however with the General Election looming it remains to be seen how, and if, this will alter things.”

“Across the private sector we have seen huge demand for contractors across almost all industries which is indicative of organisations looking to expand to facilitate further growth. And if we look at the hiring landscape in 2015, we are already seeing positive signs that it will be a good year for jobseekers in the region. There are several large-scale projects on the horizon – including the development of hundreds of new affordable homes as well as what has been described as the ‘remarkable’ expansion of the North East construction sector – which look set to drive an increased number of roles for contractors.”