Salaries don’t stand up

Linda Hall

AVERAGE white­collar salaries are stagnating, prompting fears of another talent exodus.

Companies risk losing their appeal to employees as the cost­of­living continues to rise, the latest Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) figures demonstrated.

Data provided by Bullhorn, which provides software for the staffing industry, revealed that average UK salaries for professional roles did not improve month­on­month in May. Although this figure did increase by 1 per cent compared with the previous year, the minimal growth did not re­ flect increasing inflation figures and the growing cost­of­living, APSCo pointed out.

The statistics also revealed the recruitment market’s continuing slowdown, despite a slight monthly increase between April and May.

SPAIN’S public debt fell by €8.8 billion to €1.526 trillion in April, 0.5 per cent less than last March, according to Bank of Spain data.

Nevertheless, this was 5.6 per cent higher than in 2022, when Spain’s debt stood at €1.445 trillion.

State indebtedness increased the most, with a 7.3 per cent year­ on­ year rise to €1.356 trillion, followed by Social Security, which increased by 7 per cent to €106.17

Permanent and contract vacancies were up a respective 9 and 6 per cent, month­onmonth, although this did not entirely compensate for the reductions noted in April, when vacancies dropped 16 per cent for permanent posts and 13