UK online vacancies holding up
It is anyone’s guess what GDP number official statisticians will manufacture next week but resilient online job demand suggests that the economy flatlined rather than contracted in the fourth quarter.
The chart shows a monthly GDP estimate derived from output data covering services, industry and construction together with a seasonally-adjusted version of the Monster employment index – a tally of online vacancies posted on career websites and job boards (not just Monster’s). Both GDP and the index dipped in October but the latter rallied in November / December, resulting in minimal change for the quarter. This contrasts with a plunge in spring 2008 as the economy entered a recession.
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