Employment experts say the manufacturing
and retail sectors will play a major role in helping to reduce
unemployment across Britain.
The importance of the two sectors is
highlighted in employment and skills experts Working Links'
quarterly labour market intelligence bulletin, The Pulse, released to coincide with
the latest unemployment statistics.
The Pulse 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, with slow growth being seen in 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 finding an
increasing number of vacancies the manufacturing industry. The
retail sector is also expected to be very busy in terms of
recruitment as employers look ahead to the festive period. Overall,
vacancies across 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 for the manufacturing industry.
“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
please contact us
or call 0800 917 9262.