Job Market Trends. General Trends. Some general changes in the workforce include the following:

Transcription

1 Job Market Trends Are you thinking about future employment? If so, you will probably have questions about employment market trends and where future job opportunities will be. This leaflet will briefly outline some of the ways in which work is changing and, where possible, to give expected trends for some of the major industries and sectors represented in this country. However, as you will be well aware, the recession has had a huge impact on the economy in recent times, and on employment in most sectors. The economy is taking longer to recover than originally expected, making it very difficult to predict future employment trends at this time. The economy apart, no forecasts can ever be guaranteed as the job market can change due to political events, technological advances, health scares or economic problems in other countries. Also, bear in mind that there are often significant differences in the opportunities available in the various regions of the UK. General Trends Some general changes in the workforce include the following: More and more jobs require good basic skills and ICT abilities; the trend has been a reduction in the number of jobs for unskilled workers. Technological advances in many industries mean there may be frequent changes in the kinds of tasks undertaken, as well as the tools, equipment and methods used. Employees need to be prepared to develop new skills, and accept that their roles may change. The 'nine-to-five' pattern is no longer the only way to work full time. Different ways of working include annualised hours (where you build up the hours you must work over the year, at times that suit you and your employer) and remote working (working from home). On the other hand, employers require adaptability in working patterns from their staff - for example, call/contact centres, shops and even doctor s surgeries open longer hours to provide a better customer service, requiring staff to work different shift patterns. In some areas of the country, an increase in the number of migrant workers has had an impact on employment patterns, as they are being recruited for vacancies that employers have found hard to fill locally. The impact of the recession is still being felt over a wide range of industries and predicting future employment trends, particularly in the current climate, is very difficult. Before the recession, several

2 sectors were experiencing high rates of growth and skills shortages. The extent to which these will return over the longer term is not known. Looking at vacancies through local newspapers and online will give you a general awareness of your current local labour market. There are also local labour market information posters on a display board in the stairway to the science department, which provide more information about the job market in the south west. The next section of this leaflet looks at the labour market picture in a few broad occupational areas. While in many of these areas the general outlook is one of job cuts, bear in mind that as people retire and leave their jobs, essential positions in all industries will always need to be filled. When the UK gradually emerges from the recession, the more skills and qualifications you have to offer, the better placed you will be to take advantage of new opportunities. Who will employers want? When the economy eventually recovers, there will continue to be less demand for people with low levels of skills. Every organisation will be seeking entrants with skills such as numeracy, communication, ICT, problem solving and team working. Skills in demand for some jobs are foreign languages and leadership ability. Other qualities and attributes demanded by employers include: willingness to learn and improve - most workers will have to add to their skills base or retrain reliability and honesty common sense and business sense motivation and enthusiasm a pleasant manner and a sense of humour! Many employers look for at least four or five GCSEs at grades A*-C, or equivalent; English and Maths are particularly important subjects. To obtain interesting work, with prospects, you normally need to take your learning to as high a level as you can. Careers for those with technical and professionallevel qualifications can be both more varied and better paid. Having a higher education qualification, such as a foundation degree, HNC/D or degree will widen your employment options. Many jobs are open to graduates of any subject and the financial rewards for having a degree can be good in the longer term. Even more important than good qualifications can be relevant work experience. Those who take a work-based training route or a sandwich course in higher education - with time spent learning in the workplace - benefit in the job market. Increasing numbers of undergraduate and graduate internships are being offered by employers; many of whom use these as a way of assessing which candidates they will later accept onto graduate training schemes.

3 Occupational Areas Caring, healthcare and teaching Britain has an ageing population, so there will also be an increasing need for care workers to look after older people. The demand for childcare staff has also increased in recent years, as more parents go out to work. The NHS is the largest employer in Europe with around 1.4 million employees. The NHS budget has been protected to an extent from the budget cutbacks being experienced in other areas of the public sector. There are skills shortages in a number of areas including theatre nurses, radiographers, clinical neurophysiologists and nuclear medicine technologists. Bear in mind that training for these roles can be lengthy, so the skills shortages may be met by those currently training. Teaching is a profession facing shortages in certain subject areas such as maths, physics and modern languages. The Teaching Agency aims to attract trainee teachers through generous postgraduate training bursaries and other incentives for those prepared to train to teach certain shortage subjects. Public sector cuts, as mentioned previously, have led to cuts in the number of teaching posts in further and higher education. Construction The recession hit the construction industry very hard, but it still employs about 2.4 million people. Industrial, commercial and private construction were all particularly badly affected by the economic downturn; the amount of available work fell as both individuals and businesses were unable to invest in property developments. Public sector cutbacks have also had a significant impact on the industry. While there have been some major construction projects, such as the Olympic Park, that provided a large number of jobs, the impact due to the recession on both private and public sector construction has resulted in a substantial number of lost jobs. The employment situation did not improve in 2012, with 60,000 jobs lost. A recent industry report by the Construction Skills Network, looking at , predicts very slow growth over the coming few years, and falling employment levels until However, despite all this, new recruits will be needed to replace those who retire or leave the industry. This will include a need for construction managers, construction professional and technical staff and people working in wood trades, bricklayers and painters and decorators.

4 Financial services The credit crisis started within the financial institutions and the fallout has had a major effect on the structure of, and employment prospects in, the financial sector. There have been significant job cuts at many of the big banks. Numbers working in the financial hub of the City of London have also fallen by almost a third since Where job vacancies occur, employers are increasingly demanding a wide range of skills. IT and telecommunications Approximately 1.5 million people are employed in IT and telecoms; and employment levels for professionals are predicted to continue to grow. It's anticipated that over the next few years, over 100,000 new technology professionals will be required each year. There are skills shortages in certain specialist areas, such as software development. Manufacturing Although not as prominent as in the past, this sector still employs around 2.5 million workers. Manufacturing has been affected severely by the recession; however there are some positive signs of growth. For example, Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan have announced increased investment in their UK operations, which will create new jobs at their manufacturing plants and in the supply chain. In December 2012, British manufacturing grew at its fastest rate for more than a year, which has raised hopes for performance in Some UK firms have been successful by concentrating on high-quality goods to fulfil demand in more specialist markets, rather than trying to compete with low-cost, mass production. Also, UK businesses are becoming successful at innovation - developing new products and processes rather than trying to compete with low-cost established markets. There have been increasing opportunities in emerging areas such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and recycling. Technicians and professional scientists - chemists, engineers and physicists - have been sought for work on the latest developments. Public sector You will no doubt be aware of significant cuts to public spending. As a result, many jobs have already been lost in central government departments, local authorities, fire services and the police. Savings are also being made through recruitment freezes or the restriction of recruitment to absolutely essential positions only. Between 2010 and 2012 the number of public sector workers fell by around 300,000 (i.e. about 5% of the total employed). It is now estimated that over a million public sector jobs in total could be lost

5 between 2010 and early It is hoped that the private sector will create more job opportunities to compensate. Retail, customer services and sales This is a large sector with just under three million people employed. While some well-established names have gone out of business or closed stores in the last year or so (including Comet, JJB Sports, Clinton Cards and HMV) other parts of the retail sector have been growing, particularly online and discount retailers. In addition, supermarket chains such as Morrison s and Sainsbury's are expanding their numbers of smaller 'convenience' stores. Changing tastes and trends, such as internet shopping, mean that those stores or chains that keep up with demands will thrive, while others will decline. Whether a firm provides products or services, there is always scope for those prepared to work in customer services or sales. Despite some companies moving their contact/call centres overseas, it's thought that there will still be opportunities for people to work in these areas in the UK. Sport, leisure and tourism Overall the sport, leisure and tourism sector has been less affected by the recession than others. It is hoped that the success of the 2012 Olympics will generate increased participation in sporting activities for the long term. Over 600,000 people work in sport and recreation; people are needed to assist, train and supervise both amateur and professional sportspeople. Travel and tourism is one of the largest industries in the country. It is hoped that the Olympics and other big events in 2012, such as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, will help increase tourism from overseas, and boost the tourism industry. Generally speaking, there is still a demand for people to work in a wide range of positions in hotels and at holiday centres, visitor attractions and heritage sites, etc. Many jobs in tourism are seasonal. Over recent years, increasing numbers of people have chosen to eat out regularly. This social change has meant more employment opportunities for service workers, from fast-food fryers to restaurant managers. This trend has been affected by the recession, although some coffee-house chains and companies in the fast-food (and therefore cheaper) part of the market are expanding, leading to some job creation. Unskilled jobs in this sector are not well paid; however, there are skills shortages for qualified staff in hospitality (such as chefs), and promotion prospects for people with the right qualifications are good.