Recruiters in the region also say some employers are offering higher salaries to candidates who are cautious about travelling distances to work.

Supporting the Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield districts, the Mid Yorkshire Chamber said recent job market statistics showing represent promise for the businesses in the region. But chamber managing director Martin Hathaway added that “any delays to the planned roadmap, and subsequent full reopening of the economy, may see the current trajectory taking a dip, creating renewed job losses, particularly if government support doesn’t keep in line with the roadmap, allowing firms to fall behind once again”.

Andy Turner, managing director of First Choice Recruitment and chamber board member, said he had never seen anything like the current market. “Certain sectors have been decimated… but many others have flourished creating job shortages in most other sectors. These shortages are threatening the country’s recovery,” he said.

Gill North, industrial manager at recruitment firm Stafflex, said: “From our perspective, we’ve seen that employers are keen to recruit more local candidates for peace of mind that they will be able to travel to work, but we’re finding candidates are reluctant to travel far without an increase to their wages… Some businesses are bucking the trend and offering higher salaries to attract a better calibre of candidate.”

Simon Robinson, director of Red Diamond Executive Headhunters said that “some big hitters” were announcing plans to recruit “which is really positive… we can be cautiously optimistic about the jobs market and the economy as a whole”.

Image credit | iStock