Advertised salaries for general staffing roles have shown just a minimal decline since last month (-0.1%) and have increased slightly year on year. Temporary roles have also maintained levels, showing no change compared to March.
While the UK economy went back into recession, shrinking -0.2% in the first three months of 2012, advertised salaries in April increased +0.2% compared to the previous year.
Permanent PA roles saw the greatest yearly change in salary, increasing +4.8% to an average of £29,000, while permanent Customer Service jobs were hit hardest. Advertised salaries in this sector have decreased by -7.2% compared to April 2011, and now stand at an average of just £16,000.
Meanwhile, advertised salaries for temporary roles have barely been affected at all by the fluctuating economy, showing an increase of +0.2 year on year and growing by less than 0.1% month on month. Office Managers remain the best paid temporary workers at £17 an hour, while those in Retail earn the least at £6 an hour.
Steven Kirkpatrick, MD of Office Angels said: "It still remains to be seen if and how double-dip will affect advertised salaries over the next few months, but early signs are promising. Many UK businesses have already been exercising caution around spending in the last few years, and the country's economic problems have been extremely well-publicised, so we wouldn't expect to see any knee-jerk reaction to the news.
"In any case, it would be inadvisable for businesses to slash the salaries they offer. Despite media hype around the recession, workers are still applying for new jobs. The suggestion that all workers are choosing security over the option of applying for a new job simply isn't true, and it's important for the recovery of the economy that businesses continue to attract new talent and do not become stagnant."
Personal assistants in Wales have seen the greatest increase in advertised salary year-on-year, with growth of 5.5% resulting in an average advertised wage of £25,983 per annum. Meanwhile, advertised salaries for customer service roles in the East of England have fared the worst, plummeting by -6.3% to £21,542.