The Labour Market

When making decisions about which route to follow, you need to take a long-term view of the labour market and the world of work.

Check out our up to the minute Labour Market Information .

More young people are staying in education and training with 80% of 16 and 17 year olds still in learning and more than a third of young people going into higher education.

As well as qualifications, employers are seeking key skills in their employees such as:

  • understanding and use of ICT
  • communication and literacy
  • numeracy
  • team working
  • problem solving
  • customer handling
  • technical or practical skills.

Employers report an increased need for and a current shortage of people with these skills.

So, what does this mean for you?

Today’s workforce is becoming increasingly highly skilled, so to be able to compete you will need to make the best of your abilities and get well qualified.

You are unlikely to have a job for life and can expect to change jobs and train for different types of work throughout your career. To progress successfully from one job to another, you will need to gain new skills along the way.

In this section:

Labour Market

Jobs and Training

Job Hunting