Over 32 million people in the UK are currently employed, but in which professions do the nation face shortages?
We’ve researched job demand in the UK by the key sectors listed by the Visa Bureau. This shows where to head if you work in industries like finance, education and healthcare.
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UK Skills Demand by Region
We’ve studied key employment sectors currently in high demand in the UK. We’ve compared the averages of 12 regions and compared with the overall national demand to see who comes out on top.
| Region | % Above/Below Average |
|---|---|
| London | 30.60% |
| North West | 25.69% |
| Wales | 11.70% |
| West Midlands | 10.76% |
| South East | 3.77% |
| South West | 2.32% |
| East Midlands | 2.04% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | -1.15% |
| North East & Cumbria | -2.07% |
| East | -2.33% |
| Scotland | -7.14% |
| Northern Ireland | -8.34% |
Methodology: We took 18 of the most in demand job sectors from the UK Visa Bureau ‘UK Shortage Occupations List’. We then took both an overall UK average demand from online job sites, and a region specific average to create a ‘person per vacancy’ score.
UK Job Demand Breakdown
Find out which regions are producing the highest demand for specific jobs in our rankings below. We’ve looked at shortages across key varying industries.
| Financial Sector (Management Consultants, Actuaries, Economists and Statisticians) | South West (92.37%) | London (55.10%) | South East (19.81%) | Scotland (-12.19%) |
| Directors and CEOs | London (53.10%) | North West (50.33%) | South West (-1.52%) | North East & Cumbria (-15.52%) |
| Secondary Teaching | South West (132.29%) | Yorkshire and the Humber (100.27%) | London (50.10%) | Scotland (-37.33%) |
| Software | London (48.00%) | South West (39.37%) | South East (17.41%) | Scotland (-13.95%) |
| Graphic Designers | London (44.50%) | North West (-2.24%) | South West (-8.74%) | North East & Cumbria (-22.86%) |
| Chefs, Cooks | London (38.50%) | North West (17.42%) | South West (7.35%) | East (-25.71%) |
| Nurses | North West (29.58%) | London (28.90%) | Wales (1.53%) | East (-19.55%) |
| Social Workers | North West (48.51%) | London (24.80%) | Wales (10.85%) | Northern Ireland (-25.24%) |
| Mechanical Engineers | North West (24.10%) | London (15.70%) | West Midlands (2.66%) | East (-28.55%) |
| Welding | North West (96.50%) | Wales (84.05%) | West Midlands (82.88%) | Scotland (-39.48%) |
Job Demand: London vs UK
With a population of over 8.7 million, jobs are often more competitive in the UK capital. Find out how vacancies in London compare to the national average.
| JOB | % Above/Below National Average |
|---|---|
| Finance Sector (Management Consultants, Actuaries, Economists and Statisticians) | 55.1% |
| Directors and CEOs | 53.1% |
| Secondary Teaching | 50.1% |
| Software | 48.0% |
| Graphic Design | 44.5% |
| Chefs, Cooks | 38.5% |
| Nurses | 28.9% |
| Social Workers | 24.8% |
| Mechanical Engineers | 15.7% |
| Welding Trades | -21.9% |
Job Shortages: Healthcare Industry Breakdown
The health sector is an invaluable part of UK society, but faces high demand like many other industries. From social workers to radiographers, look below to find the regions where the highest demand sits.
| MEDICAL PROFFESSION | |
|---|---|
| London | 9.68 |
| North West | 9.18 |
| Wales | 8.18 |
| West Midlands | 7.82 |
| South East | 7.31 |
| South West | 6.76 |
| Scotland | 5.43 |
| East Midlands | 5.39 |
| North East & Cumbria | 5.06 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 3.56 |
| East | 3.27 |
| Northern Ireland | 2.39 |
Sources:
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Find this report interesting? Then please help us and share with a friend:
EVGENIA FOURNARAKI says
EXTREMELY USEFUL.THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Ian Cole says
What is meant by software please>
Simply Software development?
Software engineer?
Other?
Brett says
what do you think
Wayne says
Software is the programming side that utilizes the hardware.
kevin morris says
Is UK needing building/construction managers or hands on carpentry?
Uddin md sala says
Try my best
Sarah B says
When was this published? Cant see a date on the info and wondering if it’s still relevant?
admin says
Published late 2018, so should still be very relevant.
Katherine says
Yes quite recent, however, I think the world has changed a little since 2018.
Pranit says
Is International Business, Marketing, Business Ddevelopment considered under Financial Sector?
www.utureconnecttraining.com says
The UK Shortage Occupations List subtleties the callings that are sought after in the UK. Businesses for the occupations recorded underneath are not required to publicize the presents they wish on fill.
Designing Occupations
Social insurance Occupations
Expressions and Entertainment Occupations
Different Occupations
Kennu says
Any job related to merchandising? Such as import and export?
George Erwin says
The government should forecaste the jobs needed, then tell us what GCSEs, A levels etc will be needed to train for these jobs.
Katherine says
Interesting stuff, not sure I can understand all of it but the top diagram I find somewhat surprising.
Katherine says
Interesting statistics. Not surprising to welding at the bottom of the list.