An official report yesterday pointed to a slowing down in the housing market ahead of the EU referendum.
In spite of this, employment as a proportion of the population is at a new all-time high and unemployment has continued to edge lower, remaining at a decade-long low. Companies are still looking to hire in a big way, with the Financial Times noting that the number of vacancies being advertised has dipped only slightly and is still close to record levels at 745,000.
The numbers imply that employers are having trouble filling certain skilled roles, which might be one factor weighing on the persistently weak UK productivity.
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This contention is seemingly borne out by the recruitment website Adzuna, which provided the i newspaper with the top ten job types advertised in April. It included sectors in which some high-profile figures have bemoaned a "suicidal shortage" of skills, as well as those that campaigners reckon have been held back by government cuts.
1. Engineer
Billionaire inventor James Dyson was the source of that alarming warning, relating to the lack of trained engineers in the country. "The Royal Academy of Engineering warns there will be a shortfall of 1.8 million engineers over the next decade." Engineers earn a relatively high average salary of more than £38,000.
2. Nurse
This is an area that has drawn criticism following government funding cuts, notably the slashing of a bursary scheme that paid nurses during their training. "However, others argue the removal of the bursary will allow colleges and universities to offer more training places," says i newspaper. Salaries start in the £20,000s, with the average just shy of £32,000.
3. Developer
A fairly new job type that is booming in the digital revolution, this one is less of a surprise. "Applicants with strong Java knowledge are particularly sought after," says Adzuna. The average salary is high at more than £43,000.
4. Consultant
This is something of a broad term, covering "many industries and… various salary bands". Average pay is quite high again, at close to £36,000, driven mostly by the management consultants in the ranks who "have high levels of technical skills… to help firms streamline their business".
5. Recruitment consultant
Anyone who has scoured a jobs website in recent years will recognise this role, which in some respects has become a self-perpetuating industry. The average wage is again around £36,000, but a lot of this is likely to be driven by commission.
6. Teacher
Another area of shortage that is an area of concern – and criticism – for the government, with reforms in recent years blamed for making teaching unattractive. Apparently "schools in poorer areas are finding it particularly hard to attract trained teachers" and there is a real shortage in maths and sciences. The average salary is decent enough and above the national average at about £29,500.
7. Administrator
The first of the roles with a low average salary, i notes that "office administrators are always high in demand". There are quite a few part-time roles available and required skills are lower than most roles on the list. This perhaps explains the below-national-average salary of less than £21,000.
8. Chef
A preponderance of the number of roles for professional cooks reflects Britons' love of dining out – and "figures show leisure spend in the UK is consistently rising". It's a tough gig, though, with long hours, high levels of stress and a relatively modest average salary of a little more than £22,000.
9. Designer
Another role that is a growing feature of the digital economy, offering creative input to online advertising, websites and the like. "Junior designers are more likely to start on salaries in the early £20,000s, but this rises with experience" and the average salary is closer to £40,000.
10. Sales executive
This is another generic role that covers a range of jobs across all sectors and industries. A decent average salary of nearly £28,000 is, like that of recruitment consultants, again very likely to be propped up by commission on top of more modest regular pay.
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