EMSI – GRADUATE RECRUITMENT
Tracking the Demand for Graduate Level Jobs and Skills During the Covid-19 Period
It comes as no surprise that employer hiring activity fell by an unprecedented amount during the first Lockdown .
Thousands of businesses closed and were then forced to radically adjust their working practices to reopen . Yet despite this , online job postings activity has since picked up and – despite a blip at the beginning of the year – is now almost back at pre- Lockdown levels .
Looking at graduate level occupations , which we define as those broadly found within the Office for National Statistics ’ 1-3 digit level Standard Occupation Classifications ( SOC ), we find that the trend for online postings follows roughly the same pattern as that for all occupations – a huge slump in demand between March and June 2020 ( 24 % decrease ), followed by a slow but consistent increase for most of the rest of the year . Despite a slump at the start of the third Lockdown , demand is now reaching similar levels to those seen before the Covid-19 crisis hit .
But where is this demand being seen ? Digging into the details of graduate-level occupations , our data shows that just 26 of the 172 1-3 digit occupations showed higher demand in April 2021 than March 2020 , and of these , the three showing
WWW . CAREERMAP . CO . UK the fastest growth are Civil Engineers ( mentioned in 34.32 % more job postings in April 2021 than March 2020 ); Social Workers ( 30.14 %); and Programmers and Software Development Professionals ( 26.95 %).
We can also get a more detailed picture of demand by looking at the actual job titles employers are hiring for , as well as the top skills they are currently seeking . For instance , the 27 job titles that saw higher employer demand in April 2021 than March 2020 are dominated by digital and tech roles , such as DevOps Engineers ( 58.8 % growth ); Software Engineers ( 35.1 %); Full Stack Developers ( 34.0 %); PHP Developers ( 12.5 %); and Front End Developers ( 10.9 %). There are also hints of demand increasing for roles that may be linked to the effects of Lockdown , including 24 % growth in demand for Children ’ s Social Workers ; Speech Language Therapists ( 13.1 %); and Mental Health Nurses ( 10.6 %).
As for skills , again we can see the demand for digital coming through in the data . For instance , from March 2020 to April 2021 there was an increase in demand for skills such as Cyber Security
Despite a slump at the start of the third Lockdown , demand is now reaching similar levels to those seen before the Covid-19 crisis hit .
( 89.1 %); Software as a Service ( SaaS ) ( 62.2 %); and Microsoft Azure ( 57.4 %). As with job titles , we can also see some of the indirect effects of Lockdown in the data . For example , demand for Digital Marketing grew by 36.8 %, which probably reflects the fact that companies had to up their online presence to reach customers and potential customers .
In summary , demand for graduate level positions and skills was clearly affected by the restrictions put in place due to Covid-19 . However , that huge drop in employer demand has since been followed by sustained growth , largely driven by digital and tech jobs and skills , but also by demand for jobs and skills that are highly likely to be connected to some of the consequences the Lockdown period has produced .
About the author Andy Durman UK Managing Director for labour market data firm Emsi UK . Andy has overseen the expansion of Labour Market Insight specialists Emsi UK since 2010 , with the organisation now partnering with over 100 universities , colleges , LEPs , Local Authorities and employment organisations throughout the country .
https :// www . economicmodelling . co . uk CAREERMAG FOR GRADUATES ISSUE 5 | 7