The number of vacancies in London saw a 9% increase in June 2008 compared to May this year.
In tandem with this, the number of candidates looking for jobs has also increased by about 6%. This means that the total number of jobhunters is currently 17% higher than in 2007.
Jobseekers are taking an average of c.60 days to secure a new position primarily because clients are taking longer to complete jobs. This increased time is a good time to consider temp work as an interim.
It has been announced that some 200,000 jobs will promised to british workers for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Some 10% of the workforce will come form the hosting boroughs within London. Outsourced suppliers of the games will be unlikely to make such promise with cheaper costs likely to be achieved in offshore operations.
Waltham Forest Council are undertaking a regeneration of the former Arcade site in Walthamstow.
The £50m mixed-use development with includes shops, a cinema, and residential properties. Work could potentially begin on site before the end of 2008.
A £15m refurbishment and extension planat the Tottenham Hale Retail Park in North London with three significant lettings. Asda Living has taken the largest unit on the park, this will be the first store inside the M25 for Asda’s homewares format.
This is the first ASDA Living inside of the M25 and is underlines the strength of the refurbishment, Next and JD Sports are also other key retailers to take up positions at the store, see below for the Tottenham Hale Retail Park.
The West End of London is investing vast amounts of money to keep ahead of local competiton. The heads of leading retailers met with Mayor Livingstone recently to discuss the proposed investment of up to £34 Million. This will see the West End transformed over the next 5 years in time for the Olympic games in 2012.
The imminent opening of large shopping centres in White City, Stratford, Elephant and Castle and Wandsworth will see the capitals retail market change phenomenonly. The outcome for the job hunter is that numerous jobs will e created across the retail sector as well as across construction and engineering as these sites need to be developed and transport links between them and to them need to be upgraded.
