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Salaries for human resources (HR) and recruitment jobs have increased by 7.2% over the last 12 months, with an average annual UK salary of £32,821, according to research by Adzuna.

Its UK job market report: May 2017, which is based on job vacancy data, also found that the average advertised salary in the UK increased by 0.5% between March 2017 and April 2017, from £32,525 a year to £32,678 a year. This is a 2.3% decrease from April 2016.

The report also found:

  • Graduate salaries have increased by 4.5% over the past 12 months, with an average salary of £24,361 a year.
  • Annual salaries for jobs in the travel sector now average £25,865, which is an increase of 2.4% over the last year.
  • Property job salaries and teaching job salaries have also increased in the last 12 months, by 1.8% and 1.5% respectively. The average annual salary for the property sector was £32,470, while teaching posts recorded an average salary of £26,972 a year.
  • The national living wage increase, which took effect in April 2017, has also impacted wage increases. Roles that have been most affected by the national living wage increases are administration (64%), catering (59%), and customer service (71%).

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “With salaries up, vacancies at their highest levels in seven months, and fewer people competing for jobs, it’s an employment paradise for jobseekers. This means less of a strain on disposable incomes as jobseekers and employees have more room to manoeuvre in terms of their purchasing power.

“However, with the general election fast approaching, improvements in the labour market shouldn’t be taken as given just yet. Despite promising month-on-month wage growth, we still have a way to go to make up lost ground on advertised earnings.”