GeraJobs / UK Job Vacancies by Sector / Professional & scientific
Professional, scientific & technical activities — UK Job Vacancies
The UK Professional, scientific & technical activities sector had 67,000 unfilled job vacancies in March to May 2026 — 2.2 per 100 employee jobs, a Gera Vacancy Index of 100 (UK = 100), in line with the UK average. Real ONS VACS02 data.
How many job vacancies are there in the UK Professional & scientific sector?
As of March to May 2026 (ONS VACS02), the UK Professional, scientific & technical activities sector had 67,000 unfilled job vacancies — down 9.5% on a year earlier — at 2.2 vacancies per 100 employee jobs. That is a Gera Vacancy Index of 100 (UK = 100), in line with the UK average. Real ONS data, OGL v3.0; re-dated monthly.
Gera Vacancy Index
Professional, scientific & technical activities ranks #4 of 18 UK sectors by vacancy volume. 2.2 vacancies per 100 employee jobs vs the UK's 2.2 — a labour market as tight as the UK economy.
How this is calculatedProfessional & scientific vs the UK
| Measure | Professional & scientific | UK (all sectors) |
|---|---|---|
| Unfilled vacancies (March to May 2026) | 67,000 | 707,000 |
| Vacancies per 100 employee jobs | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Gera Vacancy Index (UK = 100) | 100 | 100 |
| Change on previous quarter | down 8,000 | — |
| Change year-on-year | -9.5% (-7,000) | — |
A year ago (March to May 2025) the Professional & scientific ratio was 2.5 vacancies per 100 jobs, on 74,000 vacancies.
Vacancy Pulse — check any UK sector
Pick a sector to see its real ONS vacancy count, vacancy intensity, and the Gera Vacancy Index versus the whole UK economy.
Unfilled vacancies
67,000
Per 100 employee jobs
2.2
Gera Vacancy Index
100
Professional, scientific & technical activities has 2.2 vacancies per 100 employee jobs, versus 2.2 for the whole UK — a Gera Vacancy Index of 100 (UK = 100), so a market as tight as than the UK average. Vacancies are down 9.5% year-on-year.
Hiring in Professional & scientific? Post a vacancy on GeraJobsProfessional & scientific vacancies — FAQ
- How many vacancies are there in the UK Professional & scientific sector?
- The UK Professional, scientific & technical activities sector had 67,000 unfilled job vacancies in March to May 2026, down 8,000 on the previous quarter and down 7,000 (9.5%) on a year earlier. These are real, seasonally adjusted ONS VACS02 estimates (SIC 2007 section M).
- What is the Gera Vacancy Index for Professional & scientific?
- The Gera Vacancy Index for Professional, scientific & technical activities is 100 (UK = 100), meaning the sector has a labour market as tight as the UK economy. It is computed as the sector's ONS ratio of 2.2 vacancies per 100 employee jobs divided by the UK figure of 2.2, times 100 — a transparent, reproducible calculation.
- Is hiring getting harder or easier in Professional & scientific?
- In Professional, scientific & technical activities, the vacancy ratio moved from 2.5 vacancies per 100 jobs a year ago to 2.2 now. Vacancies went from 74,000 to 67,000 over the year (-9.5%). All figures are real ONS VACS02 estimates; none are modelled.
Compare other UK sectors
- Human health & social work activities123
- Wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles91
- Accommodation & food service activities127
- Administrative & support service activities91
- Manufacturing95
- Education77
- Information & communication127
- Construction91
- Transport & storage91
- Financial & insurance activities136
- Public admin & defence; compulsory social security82
- Other service activities100
- Arts, entertainment & recreation68
- Real estate activities68
- Water supply, sewerage, waste & remediation132
- Electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply109
- Mining & quarrying114
Get the latest vacancy figures for this sector
The ONS Vacancy Survey updates monthly. Save your email and we'll send the refreshed figures and Gera Vacancy Index when ONS publishes new data.
Related on GeraJobs
- UK job vacancies — all sectors ranked — and how the Gera Vacancy Index is calculated.
- Gera Pay Index — UK salary by region — how pay varies across the UK, from real ONS ASHE data.
- Post a Professional & scientific vacancy on GeraJobs — reach candidates in this sector now.
Source: ONS Vacancies and jobs in the UK — Vacancies by industry (VACS02) (SIC 2007 section M, series JP9S / JPB5). Figures are March to May 2026, seasonally adjusted, 3-month rolling, released 18 June 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3). The Gera Vacancy Index for Professional, scientific & technical activities is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.