Statistics for January published by KPMG showed job vacancies rose at a sharp and accelerated rate – the fastest pace in more than 15 years.
But the survey of 400 UK recruitment and employment consultancies also revealed both permanent and temporary candidate numbers declined.
Consultants said the number of permanent and part-time workers on their books continued to fall in January, including workers with accountancy and financial skills, surveyors and engineers, and healthcare providers.
Recruitment and Employment Confederation director of policy and professional services Tom Hadley called for a better careers guidance system to “raise awareness of growth sectors and current and future skills needs.”
“The report shows many of the latest in-demand roles are being sought by employers looking to invest in staff to build their businesses including customer services, marketing and sales roles, although there are skills shortages across all sectors,” he said.
“This again underlines just how critical the issue of skills shortages is becoming, as businesses will not be able to contribute to economic growth if they cannot find the skilled workers they need."
KPMG partner and head of business services Bernard Brown said the trend of fewer people entering the job market suggested people had a preference for temporary roles.
“Employees are adopting a ‘try before you buy’ mentality before committing to long-term roles,” he said.
Almost a third (31%) of those surveyed said the availability of permanent workers had worsened in January, while 42% said the situation was similar to previous months.
