Britain’s booming job market means there are fewer applicants competing for more roles, which is excellent news if you’re thinking about making a change in the near future. In fact, figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there were around 767,000 job vacancies in the three months to January of this year, which is the highest number ever recorded.

That makes it one of the best times ever to be starting your career, thinking about making a career change or looking for a new role in the same industry. However, there are some sectors where it’s much easier to find new employment than others. This is our quick guide to five of the most in-demand job types in 2019.

1. Information technology

Candidates with strong IT skills are in seriously high demand these days, particularly those specialising in the areas of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software development and data science. More and more traditional companies are starting to resemble tech companies, and this digital transformation is fuelling unrivalled job growth in the IT sector.

Despite the concerns about Brexit, Britain’s technology industry is booming. According to a UK job site, there were over 83,000 advertised job vacancies in the IT sector in the three months to January 2019, which is more than any other industry. The average advertised salary for IT workers was £51,500.

2. Teaching

There’s a well-publicised shortage of teachers across the UK at the moment, with schools struggling to retain and recruit the staff they need. This has seen the number of secondary school teachers fall to crisis levels. Of course, there is a reason why teachers are leaving the profession in their droves, and that is something you should think about carefully. However, if you want to retrain as a teacher or switch schools, there is an abundance of opportunities out there.

There were just over 70,000 job listings for teachers posted in the three months to January 2019, with an average salary of £30,901.

3. Consultancy

Consultants are experts in a wide range of fields who provide advice to businesses about how to improve the performance of essential functions such as finance, HR, IT and marketing. While a growing number of consultants work as freelancers or independent contractors, there’s also been a surge in demand from consultancy firms looking for entry- and mid-level employees.

In the three months to January, there were 18,200 consultancy vacancies advertised with an average salary of £37,301.

4. Sales

Sales positions require a unique skill set that many workers simply do not have. The result is a high demand for sales professionals across the UK. A recent study found that salespeople earn more than those in other roles in the same company, with an average salary increase of 6.2 percent. The current skills shortage could increase that pay gap further.

There were more than 43,000 sales positions advertised in the three months to January, offering an average salary of £34,200.

5. PR and marketing

If you want to take your first steps in a career in public relations and marketing, or you’re looking to progress your career, then now is an excellent time. The employee ratings website Glassdoor found that marketing managers had the third-best jobs in the UK based on three factors: annual salary, job satisfaction and the number of openings. However, there are a wide range of jobs that fall under the PR and marketing umbrella, from SEO copywriters to media planners and product managers.

In the three months to January, there were 26,105 listings for roles in marketing, advertising and PR, offering an average salary of £36,849.

Bilingual workers are always in demand

Regardless of the industry or sector you operate in, as a bilingual worker in the UK, your skills are consistently in high demand. If you’re looking to take your first or next step in your bilingual career, we can help. Take a look at our current vacancies or submit your CV today.

Many workers, at some point in their career, will have to decide whether they’re ready for a managerial role. Career progression is something that most candidates and employees strive for, but in many cases, people consider the perks of a leadership position, such as a pay bump, extra benefits and a more prestigious job title, and completely overlook the impact that becoming a manager will have on their working lives.

Moving into a managerial role is not just a big responsibility, it also means moving away from working on the frontline and potentially doing something you love. The skills and strengths required to be a good manager are likely to be very different from the skills that led to your promotion in the first place. The promotion could even reveal weaknesses in your skillset and leave you feeling unprepared and exposed.

Before jumping at the opportunity for promotion or applying for a managerial role elsewhere, here are a few questions we think you’d be wise to consider.

How will your responsibilities change?

It’s essential you understand the impact that a managerial role will have on your day-to-day responsibilities and whether it will translate to longer working hours and more stress. As an example, when a teacher becomes a head of department, they tend to spend less time in the classroom and more time in meetings or completing administrative tasks. If interacting with the children is something you love, it might not be the role for you.

Do you have the skills to be an effective leader?

Moving into a managerial position and feeling comfortable in the new role will take time. That’s why training is so important. On-the-job and external training should go hand in hand with a move up the ladder to a new role. It helps if you have some idea of the skills you’ll need for the new position that you feel you lack.

This takes self-awareness that not everyone possesses, but it’s important to be as honest with yourself as you can. An effective strategy is to think of a manager in your organisation you admire and consider the skills they have that you need to work on. You can then take the initiative to either ask for training or work to develop the new skills yourself.

Can you see the bigger picture?

As a frontline employee, it’s important you understand what the main objectives of the organisation are, but you don’t have to know all the steps it’s going to take to get there. As a manager, you have to be more aware of the bigger picture and help others share that vision too.

Those who understand the bigger picture are able to see the connections between what others might see as disparate parts of the business. They are able to consider overall policies and strategies and do not become side-tracked by irrelevant detail. They also tend to be excellent multitaskers.

What type of leader will you be?

Your leadership style will have a huge impact on the productivity, job satisfaction and morale of your team. An employee retention report from TINYpulse found that employees with ineffective managers are four times more likely to be actively looking for new jobs. You can gain some light on the type of leader you might be by answering the following questions:

• How do you interact with others? Do you prefer to communicate with people individually or as a group?
• What personality types have you struggled to work with in the past?
• How much information do you need about a task? Do you like to be in complete control or do you only need an update when there is a problem?
• How do you show your appreciation to others?
• What experiences have you found difficult in your career?

Once you’ve answered those questions, re-examine your responses through the eyes of a leader and think about how the way you communicate, manage tasks and show your appreciation will impact on others. Then consider what changes you could make to become a better leader.

Are you ready for a managerial role?

At Linguistica Recruitment, we have a wide range of opportunities for bilingual candidates at every stage of their careers. Take a look at our current vacancies and submit your CV today.