June 1, 2021, by indybamra1

What’s Happening in the Current Job Market?

By Paul Charman, Deputy Director, Careers team

Earlier this year I wrote about the 2021 job market giving context to the headlines at the time and the steps that you can put in place to navigate your job search. Over the last month or so we have seen employer updates and increased opportunities listed with the Careers and Employability Service, so an update is helpful!  

According to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), they surveyed employers in April 2021 and reported that 48 % are recruiting the same number of graduates as last year. 36% are recruiting more, a trend shared for internships and placements with 56% recruiting the same number as last year and 24% recruiting more. Clearly, this is promising news that is underlined by a 12% increase in vacancies posted by the Careers and Employability Service in the 2021 spring term compared to 2020.

The good news is that this is consistent with all sectors but the Retail and Fast-Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG), Energy, Engineering and Built Environment sectors continue to report shrinkage.

From the ISE survey, we are starting to see how recruitment processes will develop and how induction and starting work will change in light of the pandemic and the shift to online. Blended (a combination of online and offline engagement) approaches will feature heavily in job inductions and work experience with much fewer employers planning to deliver entirely in person or entirely online.

Recruitment processes have increasingly moved online over previous years and this trend will continue, most employers are expecting to conduct assessment centres and interviews either entirely online or in a blended format. We will be working with employer partners over the coming months to understand what this means for you and your preparation and applications. Look out for updates through our blogs to keep up to date.

The key takeaway here is that the student jobs market is stabilising and bouncing back in several sectors and the changes are starting to become clear in how you will be recruited and start work. Here are four tips to help you succeed:

1. Getting started can be daunting, so get in touch to explore your ideas with us
2. Research your sectors and companies of interest, and speak to us about how to get the best information to support your applications and target employers. Take a look at our blogs for sector insights.
3.  Check out our vacancy listings – we list thousands of graduate and work experience opportunities each year
4. Once you have identified opportunities to apply to, you can get advice on the recruitment process and how to prepare for it including our online resources. We update our advice and information to make sure we reflect any new changes.

If you need help with a job interview, your CV, or an application, then get in touch with us.

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