Employment Trends
Local Labour Market Information (LMI) is at the heart of every effective careers decision students will make. It is very difficult to realise occupational aspirations and progress careers without an awareness and understanding of the labour market trends.
Understanding labour market trends will help students to choose careers that are growing and in demand either locally or nationally. Labour Market Information (LMI) can help inform students, parents and teachers about
- What opportunities are out there
- What the future trends are likely to be in different sectors
- What qualifications and skills are needed to access specific career pathways
- What preparation is needed to be ready to compete for jobs in some sectors
Within the West Midlands there is predicted to be a growth of around 88,000 jobs by 2024 with the main sectors set to grow being construction, health and social work, support services, transport and storage and professional services. Predicted growth hotspots for jobs nationally are Manchester, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Warrington with 110,000 new jobs predicted by 2024; the South Central region where 172,000 new jobs are predicted by 2024 and London with 155,000 new jobs predicted by 2024.
Understanding the predicted changes in jobs helps students to develop skills in occupations which will be in demand. Locally within Shropshire there are about 8,000 people employed within construction and it is also important to remember there are opportunities for skilled craft workers in the built heritage sector to help preserve old buildings in our area.
Within health and social care there are around 17,000 people employed in Shropshire which is about 15% of all jobs. It’s important to remember that this sector falls into two different types of roles – frontline jobs with direct contact with patients and support services vital to keeping the service running.
In Shropshire, business services (professional services) combined – from lawyers and accountants to ICT, marketing, HR and sales as well as management and other consultants – make up one of the largest employment sectors. And like other areas, the sector here is set to grow – predictions say by as much as 28%.
For more Information on Labour Market Information (LMI) please see the links below.
