There has been a 33% increase in procurement and supply management job vacancies advertised in Q2 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, according to figures compiled by recruiter Hays Procurement and the Chartered Institue of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS),

Demand for procurement officers increased most sharply (by 200%), followed by senior buyers (110%) and procurement managers (75%).

However, there remain fewer than 20 applicants per role, compared to over 30 in HR and in non-qualified finance positions.

Senior roles in procurement and supply management are on the rise, with jobs with advertised salaries of between £75,000 and £100,000 rising by 35% in the first half of 2011.

Meanwhile, recruitment firm Langley Search & Selection suggests that while average pay for procurement specialists within the financial services sector has jumped by 5% over the last year, pay for peers in other sectors has remained broadly flat.

According to the Hays/CIPS survey, the automotive manufacturing sector has seen the strongest growth, and while five our of six jobs in the sector remain in private companies, public sector vacancies registered a strong increase in the first two quarters of 2011, despite job cuts throughout the public sector.

David Noble, chief executive of CIPS, says: “The financial crisis and continuing uncertainties weighing on the global economy, have led many companies to review their business strategies and to expand parts of their operations that ultimately help them to reduce costs and ensure the sustainability of future growth.

Christina Langley, managing director of Langley, adds: “In the post-credit crunch environment, banks have been in an almost constant struggle to improve their cost to income ratios.”