Hoping for a New Job in the New Year?

Hoping for a New Job in the New Year?

Published on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 09:18

	By Mel Morton Follow @Mel_Morton

 

In the past, a job used to be for life.  Not anymore.  Now, as the baby boomers retire it is rare to hear of employees having worked at companies for twenty, thirty or forty years.

Instead, with the retirement age increasing, younger generations or those mid-career will face the prospect of careers spanning several decades.  The effect of this social change is already impacting the work force with many retirees starting new careers in a new field.

This trend is set to continue.  The likelihood being that the majority of us will have numerous careers during our working lifetime.

But these past few years of economic turbulence have not only affected financial security but have damaged job prospects and job security too.  This week the UK unemployment rate rose from 7.9% to 8.3% reaching 2.64 million and achieving the highest levels since 1994.

For those out of work or anyone looking to change jobs, the New Year will continue to be challenging as the number of job vacancies have reduced by 8,000 to 445,000.

"Today's data confirms that the first part of 2012 will continue to be a difficult time for the jobs market,” Kevin Green, Chief Executive of The Recruitment & Employment Confederation said of the figures in a news release.

“According to feedback from recruitment professionals,” Green continued, “demand remains strong in high-skilled sectors such as technology and engineering. This is because of the disconnect between the jobs currently on offer and the skills of job-seekers.”

However, the recent announcement wasn’t all bad news.  The private and self-employed sector increased in levels of employment, with the self-employed figures matching the highest levels since the data was first recorded back in 1992.

Philip Mackie contributed to this increased statistic having set up in business this year. Initially it wasn’t a career move Philip had planned or made by choice.  For the past thirteen and a half years he has worked as a Media and Publications Manager for a housing association. In his fifties, Philip had expected to continue in that position until retirement.

But following a change of management and streamlining of positions within the association, Philip was warned that his job was at risk and eventually made redundant.

As a result, Philip rented an office and set up in business with his company Eyeball Media & Productions, offering copywriting, print audit, advertising and marketing.

Whilst he is now enjoys the challenge and creative freedom of working for himself he admits that there are challenges, as he’s discovered that the industry “has changed in the last fourteen years’ in which he has been employed.

Alongside his own business, Philip is currently searching for a part-time marketing job. Like so many others in the job market he has found that there “are not many jobs around at the moment.”

“Finding a part-time marketing job is even more difficult,” Philip told Ask the Experts.

Whilst he has applied for several positions he has been surprised at the response to his applications.  For some jobs that he felt confident at being offered an interview he has not obtained one.  For other job applications where he has felt there was little chance, he has received an interview.

In the meantime, as Philip continues his search for a part-time position, he is investing his time in producing a charitable magazine to gain valuable experience.  Because during these challenging economic times, Philip acknowledges: “People don’t have money to throw around on marketing and advertising.”

Whilst he didn’t anticipate being in this position, Philip remains positive about his future, which he describes as a “new, exciting period,” that allows him “more freedom to do things that interest me.”

“I’m doing it for myself,” Philip says.  “That keeps you motivated.”

For Emma Humphries, a Mum looking to return to full-time employment now that her youngest has started school, the current climate offers a welcome opportunity to establish herself, once again, as a registered childminder.

In her forties, Emma, an NNEB qualified Nursery Nurse, would ideally like to retrain as a Mid-wife.  “But it’s very difficult to get on the course,” Emma told Ask the Experts, “and doesn’t bring any money in.”

With her ideal job on hold for the future, Emma intends to work full time as a childminder from the New Year.

“Childminding has not been affected by the recession,” she says.  Previously, when she was a part-time childminder she never had to advertise due to the constant demand for childcare.

“One perspective client that called me said I was the twenty-seventh childminder she’d phoned.”

Childminding is perhaps an industry benefiting from the recession.

“More Mums are having to go back to work,” Emma says.  “And Mums on maternity leave are maybe having to return full time because of a lack of jobs in the part-time market.”

“Lots of parents in work are having first babies, and then realising that they can’t afford not to work with the way job market is.”

For Emma her work prospects in the New Year appear positive.  “I don’t have any worries about getting a job,” Emma told Ask the Experts, “Childcare is a pretty good market to be in, it’s just not a very well paid one.”

While for others, the job prospects in the New Year job may not be quite so encouraging.

For recent graduate Sophie Hopkins, the latest statistics are an unwelcome reminder of the reality that far too many graduates are finding themselves in: over qualified for some jobs but with insufficient work experience for others.

Sophie, who graduated from the University of Winchester with an Honours Degree in Creative Writing, has found that achieving a Degree has not created the opportunities she hoped it would.

“I never wanted to go to Uni in the first place,” Sophie told Ask the Experts, “but after College, I decided it would benefit me in the long run to go to University in order to gain a better career….”

Completing a Degree in these challenging times can be disheartening.  Sophie, who would like a Media based career is struggling against a lack of jobs in her chosen industry and companies requirement for relevant work experience, which she admits, “coming straight out of education, I don’t have.”

“I am disappointed to realise […] that I am going to be applying to the same jobs I would of applied for if I had not gone to Uni.  It’s not the Degree that employers are interested in, it’s the experience.”

For the jobs that are available competition is fierce.  “For just one available post, hundreds of people are applying,” Sophie explains.  “It’s hard to get yourself noticed when everyone is doing the same thing.”

“I’m currently only applying for the really basic entry level positions e.g. trainee assistant, office assistant etc and even those I’m not getting.”

Although frustrated, Sophie acknowledges that she is not alone:

“Many people have found themselves returning to the same job as before and not having progressed anywhere (only thousands of pounds more in debt).  Like them, I have returned to work in retail part time whilst I am looking for a career.  It’s the same job I got to help pay my way through Uni, and even they can only offer me part time.”

After an interview last week for a position as trainee administrator, Sophie is waiting to hear on whether she has been successful.  So how does she feel about the New Year and her job prospects?

“If the New Year comes and goes with nothing still, I am thinking of doing some night courses at the local college to provide me with some more skills… just to help build my CV and make it more noticeable to employers.”

Paul Davison, Managing Director of SLM Search and Selection, told Ask the Experts that although the market is “still not back to the days of 2004 -2007,” 2011 has been a better year and that he’s optimistic about the coming year, which he believes will be “better still.”

As the festive season approaches and 2011 draws to a close job seekers need to remain positive in their search in the New Year, believing that their prospects in 2012 will improve.

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