Construction and energy jobs growth

Employment experts say jobs in the construction and energy sectors will play a major role in helping to reduce unemployment across Britain in the coming months.

The importance of the two sectors is highlighted in employment and skills experts Working Links' quarterly labour market intelligence report, released today to coincide with the latest unemployment statistics.

The report gives an insight into the UK employment market, combining official data from the Office for National Statistics and frontline evidence from today's welfare to work industry.

Latest statistics put the UK unemployment figure at 2.51 million, but with slow growth being seen in several areas including the construction and energy sectors – these two showing the largest growth in terms of vacancies over the last three months compared with the same period in 2010. The organisation is also finding an increasing number of vacancies the manufacturing industry and the retail sector is also expected to be very busy in terms of recruitment as employers look ahead to the festive period. However, overall, vacancies across Great Britain have declined by ten per cent since the same period last year.

The report also highlighted that all regions in Britain had seen declines in terms of vacancies – Scotland and the East of England seeing the least decline while Yorkshire and the Humber saw the largest decline. The figures show jobs in public sector were hit the hardest recently.

Commenting on the current trends, Working Links Director Karen Masterson said:
“We’re seeing different trends in each region across Britain but it’s clear that many areas are seeing green shoots of recovery particularly in the construction and energy sectors.  

“We’re also readying ourselves for large numbers of vacancies in the retail sector ahead of the busy Christmas period, although not as much as in previous years. On the flip side, we can back up official figures in saying that the public sector is not hiring.

“More often than not, employers are looking at hiring candidates who have employability skills – those who are reliable, flexible and who have a good work ethic – rather than reams of qualifications. This is backed up by our recent Learning a Living research, which found that 86% of employers look for potential rather than experience when hiring.

“However, certain industries still require specific skills and qualifications which is where we’re delivering tailored solutions for hundreds of businesses across Britain every month. We’re working closely with employers to find out exactly what skills are needed in new starters and work with candidates to ensure they can offer these skills, so they are ready to hit the ground running.”

To find out more about how Working Links helps communities, call 0800 917 9262 or visit www.workinglinks.co.uk