The UK is going through a period of profound change and uncertainty. Looming Brexit deadlines, sweeping changes to workers’ rights and economic uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus mean that recruiters and hiring managers need to stay on their toes.
Amid all this change, which are going to be the fastest-growing UK recruitment sectors in 2020? It’s a tough question to answer, but we’re going to dig into the numbers to paint a clearer picture so that you can prepare and plan as effectively as possible.
The Fastest-Growing UK Recruitment Sectors
Here’s a look at the critical recruitment areas in the UK that will see significant growth over the course of 2020:
IT and Digital
The UK tech sector is flourishing: investments in the UK tech sector soared to £10.1 billion in 2019 – a £3.1 billion increase in 2018’s strong figures.
Those figures mean that UK tech companies secured a third of all VC investment made in Europe last year. That impressive statistic cements the UK as a global player, and it only sits behind the US and China when it comes to total VC funding received last year.
According to Digital Minister Matt Warman, this success is testament to the UK’s “business-friendly environment, talented workforce and longstanding reputation for innovation.”
Figures from Tech Nation reveal that over 2.1 million people were working in tech in 2018, meaning that the tech industry is a more significant employer than other key sectors like hospitality, construction and financial services.
All of this means that we’ll see the demand for talented tech professionals extend way into 2020. Recruiters and hiring managers will have a tough time battling it out for the best talent until the skill shortage is addressed.
Healthcare
There are over 5,600 life science companies active in Britain, and they work incredibly hard to manufacture and market-leading clinical products and pharmaceuticals. The UK healthcare industry is only behind the US in terms of size.
An impressive one-fifth of the British workforce is currently employed in STEM-based careers, and this makes Britain the most knowledge-intensive nation in the G20 when it comes to matters of science. This strong reputation means that the UK has one of the most robust healthcare industries and most experienced workforces.
A recent UK private healthcare market report suggested that the market is estimated to grow at a rate of 2.6% by 2023. This growth has been attributed to longer NHS waiting times, referrals to the private sector and increasing uncertainty about the future of the NHS.
The UK’s strong healthcare industry and growing demand for private healthcare could result in significant hiring initiatives over the course of 2020.
Construction
The new Conservative government has promised increased expenditure in critical areas like housing, health and major civil engineering projects. This could mean that there are lots of exciting upcoming opportunities within the construction industry. Numbers from the Office for National Statistics indicate that construction work is on the rise.
The Thames Tideway and Hinkley Point projects are two significant ongoing initiatives that continue to create vacancies, for instance, while a range of additional ambitious infrastructure projects has been given the green light.
Some analysts also believe that the HS2 project will be approved this year, joining a host of ambitious rail and highway projects. Those will generate a significant number of vacancies while the government’s pledge to build 300,000 homes each year over the coming years will lead to new opportunities.
The outlook for the UK construction industry is very positive, and as such, we’ll be sure to see lots of demand for trained professionals at all levels of seniority.
Prepare for the Future with These Resources
Do you have significant talent needs to address this year? It’s critical that you capitalise on every opportunity to find the right talent; here are three useful resources that can help you to acquire the best talent over the course of the year:
Use These Steps to Secure Talent Acquisition Success in 2020
In this piece, we take you through some of the key techniques and strategies that you can use to put yourself ahead of the competition and find the best talent in 2020.
Explore these unmissable talent acquisition steps.
Half of All Employees Want Flexible Working in 2020
Flexible working is going to define the world of work in 2020 – are you prepared to deliver on your candidate preferences and unlock the benefits of flexible working?
Learn what you stand to gain by offering flexible working.
Five Unmissable 2020 Talent Acquisition Trends
There are five unique talent acquisition trends that you can capitalise on this year to get the best results.
Stay on top of these five critical 2020 acquisition trends.
Closing Thoughts
We hope that this post has given you some interesting food for thought, and we’d love to hear your ideas about what to expect from UK recruitment over the course of 2020.
If you’re planning a big recruitment drive in 2020, you should be sure to learn more about Elevate and how our AI-driven platform can empower you to move fast and recruit now.