Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant and Fareham see job vacancies plummet due to coronavirus crisis

That is according to the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), which collected data from Adzuna – one of the UK’s largest online job search engines.

The think tank warns many people struggling before the pandemic will now be even worse off, and says much more must be done to support livelihoods.

In Portsmouth there were 1,155 job vacancies on June 14 – 53 per cent fewer than on March 15, the date the IES used as the benchmark for pre-crisis vacancy levels.

The figure was also 65 per cent lower than at the same time a year previously.

In Fareham there were 567 job vacancies on June 14 – 61 per cent fewer than on March 15.

The figure was also 67 per cent lower than at the same time a year previously.

In Havant there were 405 job vacancies on the same day in June, which was 48 per cent fewer than on March 15. The figure was also 53 per cent lower than at the same time a year previously.

Gosport saw 200 job vacancies on June 14 – 37 per cent fewer than on March 15. This was 44 per cent lower than at the same time a year previously.

There were 518 job vacancies in East Hampshire on June 14 – 51 per cent fewer than on March 15. The figure was also 59 per cent lower than at the same time the previous year.

Winchester saw one of the biggest slumps with there 2,309 job vacancies on June 14 – 66 per cent fewer than on March 15. This was also 64 per cent down from the same time a year previously.

Across the country, the number of vacancies plunged to 367,000 on June 14 – 55 per cent lower than the 820,000 jobs advertised before the virus rocked the economy.

But there was huge variation between areas – Watford in Hertfordshire and Aberdeen both saw the biggest drop with 76 per cent fewer vacancies, while London's Kensington and Chelsea saw a 127 per cent rise.

Tony Wilson, director of the IES, said: ‘This crisis has affected all parts of the economy, but it’s clear that it is hitting some places harder than others.

‘Many of these areas were struggling before this crisis began and are in even more trouble now.

‘We need to be doing much more both to support employment demand in the short term – for example by cutting employer National Insurance – and in the longer-term to support new industries and jobs.’

The think tank also compared the vacancy data to Office for National Statistics figures on the number of people claiming work-related benefits, such as Jobseekers’ Allowance and some forms of Universal Credit.

It found there were around 10 claimants per vacancy in Portsmouth in May, up from two in March, although the ONS has cautioned that changes to Universal Credit due to the virus mean more people could get help while still being employed.

This was just above the UK average of nine people chasing every listed job.

It found there were around five claimants per vacancy in Fareham in May, up from one in March - lower than the UK average.

In Havant there were around 12 claimants per vacancy in the same month, up from three in March.

Gosport saw around 15 claimants per vacancy in May, up from four in March.

It found there were around five claimants per vacancy in East Hampshire during the same period, up from one in March.

In Winchester there were around one claimant per vacancy in May, up from less than one in March.

Dave Innes, head of economics at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which funded the research, said: ‘To make this ambition a reality, we need sustained investment in jobs, skills and infrastructure across the country, as well as a social security system that supports people when they need it.’

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