Manufacturing saw the biggest quarterly growth in Q1 2015, the latest employment data from global jobsite Indeed reveals. In spite of the troubled Eurozone and subsequent soaring pound dampening the UK’s export hopes, manufacturing jobs led growth in Q1, with positions up 21 percent on the previous quarter. 

This follows research from CBI, revealing that manufacturers are pushing for increased production to counteract the impact of sluggish exports. Meanwhile, despite real estate being amongst the top five highest growing employment sectors since March 2014, year-on-year growth has slowed significantly in recent months – reflecting the steadying of the housing market. Real estate stands at 21 percent year-on-year growth for March 2015, down from 29 percent in the previous month. This is down significantly from the 2014 high of 47 percent in August – during the peak of the UK’s property price rise.

Top growth industries (quarterly) – change compared to Q4 2014

Manufacturing (up 21 percent)

Hospitality (up 15 percent)

Retail (up 11 percent)

Human Resources (up 10 percent)

Media (up 10 percent)

Top growth industries (year on year) – change compared to March 2014

Transportation (up 36 percent)

Manufacturing (up 34 percent)

Construction (up 22 percent)

Real Estate (up 21 percent)

Hospitality (up 19 percent)

Other Key stats: Job availability rose across all sectors from February 2014 to 2015 – with the exception of healthcare, which saw jobs drop by 17 percent. Overall, transportation saw the biggest growth in job opportunities compared to the year before – up 36 percent from March 2014. Commentary from Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA, Indeed:“It’s promising to see that export issues are not holding manufacturers back from pushing for growth, with the industry experiencing the biggest rise in job positions in Q1 2015, compared to the previous quarter.

According to reports from CBI, manufacturing experts are predicting even further production growth in the next three months – suggesting we can expect to see job positions in this sector continue to rise in Q2. Popular jobs include warehouse supervisor, production manager and maintenance technician. “The year-on-year slow-down of jobs growth in the real estate industry reflects the steadying of the property market. Job opportunities for careers such as estate agent, quantity surveyor and building surveyor boomed in August 2014, following soaring growth in house prices. We are now seeing jobs growth returning to more stable levels.”