Throughout the UK, fingers are crossed for a more buoyant job market in 2011 as we continue to recover from recession. But there are signs there will be much more opportunity in some parts of the country than others. So how does your local town or city fare in the shape of things to come this year?

Signs of growth
There was another brushstroke of good news this week when research group Centre for Cities revealed that many areas were now “bouncing back”, including some cities hit hardest by job losses, such as Hull, Doncaster and Northampton.

Those with the greatest optimism are likely to be living in and around Milton Keynes, Reading, Aberdeen, Leeds and Bristol – which were named as “cities to watch”. Meanwhile, five “vulnerable” cities the report picked out were Sunderland, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Swansea and Newport in south Wales, as these will be affected more by Government spending cuts and will need extra financial support and a more ‘local’ plan of action.

The totaljobs Barometer
We’ve been tracking job market stats closely as we emerge from recession and the regional differences that we see are huge. In terms of new jobs, the South East, London and the North West enjoyed the greatest increases in 2010. And the least active regions were Northern Ireland, Wales and the North East.

But it’s not all about the number of jobs out there in your area – the competition for those jobs is a crucial factor. We’ve actually seen areas such as the South East experience the highest average number of applications for each new job when compared to all other parts of the UK, despite many new jobs coming to the region.

Highest number of applications per job (end of 2010)

South East – 28
London – 20
North West – 16
North East – 15
Wales – 15
East Midlands – 12

Spending review
The local effect of the Government’s spending review is clearly going to be causing sleepless nights in Whitehall. When you take such drastic action in one direction – ie, public sector – it’s inevitable the consequences will be varied and uneven in their distribution across industries and locations. And it looks like there are plans afoot to tackle that very issue.

As The Department for Business said recently: “There are now 28 local enterprise partnerships which have been given the go-ahead and these will play an important part in boosting growth and creating a strong environment for businesses to succeed in the areas they serve. The partnerships are well placed to understand the demands of their locality and will have the power to make the best decisions for their communities.

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