With the labour market in the UK (and globally) in flux, it is often difficult to predict emerging labour trends – jobs that are hot now, may turn lukewarm a year from now. As a recruiter, I see some very specific job trends emerging throughout London and the UK that I would like to share with you.

Hot Jobs

With an ageing population, one of the fastest growing sectors I see today is in healthcare and elder care. We are seeing a need for nurses, nursing assistants and home care specialists. In fact, most areas of healthcare are growing. Doctors’ offices need more skilled clinical, billing and accounting staff, hospitals need more professional administrative support, and walk-in clinics are on the rise. There is a vast array of positions available within this industry, and many of these jobs need very specific skills that are available to the general public or through short-term specialised classwork.

The technology industry remains on the top of the list for growth. However, we see certain sectors declining as many positions are outsourced to more competitive foreign economies. The hot jobs for London and the UK include computer hardware integration and programming, systems analysts and engineers, and network administrators.

While all industries rely on administrative support for daily functioning, one new trend I am seeing is the move from “secretarial” work to the incorporation of a personal assistant. Today’s personal assistant requires more than just traditional secretarial skills. PAs often manage calendars and meetings, perform all scheduling tasks and errands, arrange conference calls, manage all aspects of employer’s schedule and communications, and even perform accounting functions.

Finally, accounting, bookkeeping and auditing support is a popular hiring area. While many multinational corporations outsource back office accounting tasks to overseas locations, most small to mid-sized companies cannot take advantage of this resource. They still require the services of a bookkeeper. As home-based and small businesses grow, they begin to require the services of an accountant in order to free their time for more important areas in business development. This is an area to watch in the next year, as we are seeing many long-term unemployed job hunters turn to starting their own businesses to survive.

Not so Hot Jobs

It comes as no surprise that manufacturing, call centre and technical support positions are increasingly outsourced overseas to more competitively priced foreign labour markets. Additionally, we are seeing many retail stores – both large and small – being forced to close their doors over the last two years. While this may change down the road, currently, we are not seeing much of an upswing in this sector. Human resource jobs are also being outsourced. Many people are setting up companies to take over this function, so you might want to consider this option if you possess strong skills in this area.

Engineering and financial services sectors have also taken a hit. While tourism has seen a slight increase recently, overall the hospitality sector has declined significantly.

While private sector healthcare positions remain in demand, the public sector has not been so lucky. Job cuts in the public sector will ultimately reduce the number of jobs available if the current trend continues.