How will the job market change in the upcoming years? What are the competences graduates should possess and that are conducive to the recruitment criteria?
We cannot predict the future, but we surely can take a glance at some thorough research studies that could shrug off the employment’s teething troubles! Let’s avoid the saturated job markets and become more oriented towards promising working areas.
We could start ironing out some wrinkles because there are signs of a thaw. The job market has registered a great progress in the last year in terms of vacancies and it appears not to be affected anymore by the big economic collapse from 2008. During the first quarter of 2014, employment vacancies across the United Kingdom have sharply increased due to the economic recovery. Though, this optimistic outcome does not necessarily mean an even distribution across industries.
The healthcare sector reflects the greatest appetite for qualified staff, significantly in the primary care area. Half of the 20 fastest growing occupations fall into this category and the reason which triggers this upsurge is crystal clear – the baby-boomer generation gets older, people are living longer and they are seeking more medical care. Other niche markets, such as oil, gas and technology follow in the medical sector’s footsteps retaining a strong claim for labour force. As well as in the service sector, the competition in these industries is rapidly intensifying, making the candidate sourcing a tough process for recruiters. Would the job market be plagued by excess supply?
If needles or hammers are not your specialty, the financial sector is also successfully tapping into the country’s ocean of labour. Employers have also reported a high demand for qualified accounting and finance professionals. Hey presto! I am undertaking a Bachelor degree in Business, I got this one!
Though, you need to slightly cool down your heels until you receive your final offer. Trade sources reveal that despite the need for personnel, the companies are shortening the employment process in order to create a competitive market targeting the most suitable candidates. Grab your shining armour and be ready for the battlefield!
The need for organisations to upgrade their IT systems on an ongoing basis directly influences the demand for new workforce in this sector which also grows abreast with the annual economic productivity. If you were planning on becoming a network systems and data communications analyst or a computer applications software engineer give yourself a pat on the back, because computer occupations are expected to be the second-fastest growing jobs.
So long and treacherous was the road to graduation, paved with hard-working hours and brain’s sweat. But achieving a higher education diploma does not just offer you the graduate status, but a substantial supplement to the salary. On the average, alumni earn £30,000 per annum, while non-graduates’ incomes are around £18.000 a year. While in most cases, a higher degree attracts higher salaries, the medicine sector presents strong entry barriers which are not meant to be crossed by non-graduates.
According to IDC ‘Skill Requirements for Tomorrow’s Best Jobs’ (2013) both hard and soft skills are vital for graduates to enhance their employability. Communication, integration and presentation abilities (CIPs) are desired by 40 percent of employers.
It is also interesting that the only software package demanded is Microsoft Office and because all these competences reinforce each other, Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel are highly ranked as well. Detail oriented, problem solving, organisational and bilingual skills are some of the most wanted abilities across the industries.
Learn from the past and step into the future! There is a confluence of several drivers working together that could reshape the future landscape. Increasing global lifespans change the nature of careers and learning; workplace automation nudges human workers out of rote; new communication tools require new media literacies beyond text and as we already know global inter-connectivity puts diversity and adaptability at the center of organizational operations.
If you are one of those intuitive people who had a premonition about these working trends, you need to carefully scrutinize the job market and pick the “winner company”, because in few years from now they will cram their fingers attracting more and more employees like you. In the meantime, explore all your chances, gain more experience and enhance your competences. Higher Education institutions, especially the University of Westminster, offer various work and industry internships and practice-based learning opportunities whilst more and more academic courses incorporate these business-orientated approaches.
Get in touch @ www.westminster.ac.uk/careers for more employability support 🙂
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