New job opportunities surge following summer break. Improved employment picture tempered by pay – salaries remain static. Jobs growth across majority of sectors from retail to construction and manufacturing but growth in new job opportunities is continuing across the UK but salaries remain static, according to the latest Reed Job Index.

Now at 166, the monthly index, which is compiled using data from around 150,000 vacancies advertised on reed.co.uk, shows that job opportunities are at their highest since the Reed Job Index began in 2009, with growth of over three percent month-on-month and by 24 percent on an annual basis. Furthermore, the number of new jobs added in one day reached a five-year high on Wednesday, 18 September at 7,978.

Growth was seen across a wide variety of employment sectors, with vacancies in the manufacturing and retail sectors particularly buoyant, up over 32 percent and 31 percent respectively compared with September 2012. The construction & property sector continues to power ahead with strong annual growth, with a rise in job opportunities of 78 percent year-on-year. Overall, more than half of industry sectors have seen annual jobs growth of greater than 20 percent. Scotland leads the way in terms of yearly growth in new vacancies for the fourth consecutive month. Tellingly, every UK region is now offering more jobs than the same period last year, with growth ranging from 13 percent to 46 percent year-on-year.

Salary wise, the picture is less encouraging with employee pay packets remaining at the same level as they did this time last year and four percent lower than they were when the Reed Job Index began in 2009. Overall, the Job Index now stands at a record 166, up from 161 in August and 138 at the beginning of the year. Commenting on the latest figures, James Reed, chairman of reed.co.uk, says: “Our vacancy figures have indicated an improving picture of the state of the UK economy since before the beginning of 2013. This has been echoed by other industry statistics more recently. While previously growth was being driven by a handful of sectors and locations, encouragingly September saw jobs growth across the vast majority of sectors and across all regions.

“Amidst all the positive indicators, the absence of salary growth continues to temper wider optimism. Pay has remained static for the past three months now and our figures show that since the index began back in 2009 employees won’t have noticed an improvement in their pay packets. While it is clear that 2013 will be far more fruitful for jobseekers than 2012, there is still a sense that salaries aren’t going anywhere fast.