New job demand fell away across a range of job sectors from general insurance to marketing & PR, according to September’s Reed Job Index. 

The index was down one index point compared to August. However, year-on-year employer demand is up 16%, with a reading of 121.

This month’s figures also reveal that the Reed Banking Index posted a reading of 75 – the lowest since the index began, while the Reed Public Sector Job Index reads 57.

However, demand grew in industrial and technical areas such as engineering and manufacturing, along with business services sectors like customer services and media, digital & creative.

Martin Warnes, managing director of reed.co.uk, says: “The economy seems to be treading water at the moment. Demand for new staff is falling back in key areas of the financial sector such as banking and general insurance. At the same time there are signs that the much-sought re-balancing of the economy is a possibility, as sustained growth has returned to job sectors like engineering and manufacturing.

“Across the private sector as a whole new jobs are still up more than a fifth compared to this time last year, and employers have found that stable salaries make it a good time for them to invest in new talent.”