March 29, 2024

Thorpe

Marsh Gas

LinkedIn says these are the fastest growing job sectors in the UK

10’000 Hours | Getty Images

Jobs in e-commerce, health care and digital content freelancing are seeing the fastest growth in the U.K., according to LinkedIn’s list of roles on the rise for 2021. 

These areas of growth reflect trends that have dominated since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, including the surge in demand for staff in supporting roles to doctors and nurses, as health care systems became overwhelmed by the virus.  

Meanwhile, e-commerce personnel have been in-demand to meet the needs of consumers shopping at home.

The professional networking site said a greater need for workers with digital skills and uncertainty in the jobs market had led to growth in digital content freelancing.

Janine Chamberlin, senior director at LinkedIn, said that while the coronavirus pandemic had “evidently created job turmoil for many, it has also fueled a wave of roles that are growing in demand and offer people immediate opportunities.” 

LinkedIn’s data scientists looked across more than 15,000 job titles in the U.K. to identify the jobs that saw the most growth between April and October 2020, compared with 2019. 

Based on that analysis, here’s the full list of the U.K.’s most in-demand jobs sectors, the most popular roles within that area, the most sought-after skills and the top hiring hotspots for these professions: 

The U.K.’s 15 fastest growing job sectors for 2021

1. E-commerce personnel 

Top jobs: Driver, supply chain associate, supply chain assistant, warehouse team lead, online specialist.

Top skills: Order fulfilment, retail, order picking, warehouse operations, professional driving.

Hiring hotspots: Birmingham, Northampton, Manchester, Leicester.

2. Health care supporting staff 

Top jobs: Home health aides, health care assistant, health advisor, health coach, medical writer. 

Top skills: Home care, healthcare, wellness coaching, medical writing.

Hiring hotspots: Manchester, Oxford. 

3. Digital content freelancers

Top jobs: Content coordinator, youtuber, blogger, podcaster.

Top skills: Podcasting, YouTube, blogging, video editing.

Hiring hotspots: London, Birmingham, Manchester.

4. Construction

Top jobs: Mason, site specialist, construction specialist, construction worker, construction site manager. 

Top skills: Construction site management, brickwork, construction.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Birmingham.

5. Creative freelancers

Top jobs: Writer, illustrator, voice over artist, script writer, editor.

Top skills: Editing, illustration, screenwriting, voice acting, writing.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Birmingham.

6. Finance

Top jobs: Investment banking specialist, finance specialist, treasurer, equity trader, financial services professional.

Top skills: Economics, trading, finance, financial services, investment banking.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Liverpool.

7. Specialized medical professionals

Top jobs: Intensive care nurses, certified nursing assistants, laboratory scientists, medical laboratory assistants.

Top skills: Health care, clinical research, clinical pharmacy, medicine.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow.

8. Professional coaching

Top jobs: Life coach, business coach, leadership coach.

Top skills: Business coaching, executive coaching, life coaching.

Hiring hotspots: Sheffield, Cardiff, Nottingham, Birmingham.

9. Social media and digital marketing

Top jobs: Growth hacker, growth specialist, marketing consultant, social media manager, social media coordinator.

Top skills: Digital marketing, growth hacking, growth strategies, social media marketing.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Belfast.

10. Customer service

Top jobs: Customer service consultant, customer service advisor, customer support specialist, customer contact representative. 

Top skills: Time management, customer support, retail, customer satisfaction, customer experience.

Hiring hotspots: Manchester, London, Newcastle.

11. Education

Top jobs: English tutor, mathematics tutor, academic tutor, instructional design specialist.

Top skills: Tutoring, teaching, e-learning, history, language teaching.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Birmingham.

12. Mental health professionals

Top jobs: Clinical psychologist, mental health counsellor, mental health practitioner, mental health specialist, occupational therapist, psychiatric nurse, psychologist, psychotherapist. 

Top skills: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, mental health care, rehabilitation, nursing.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Birmingham.

13. Real estate

Top jobs: Real estate agent, property specialist, real estate consultant.

Top skills: Property management, real estate, investment properties, residential real estate, real estate development.

Hiring hotspots: London, Oxford, Manchester, Chelmsford.

14. Specialized engineering

Top jobs: Back-end developer, game designer, game developer, reliability engineer, software engineering specialist.

Top skills: Go (programming language), game design, game development, reliability engineering, JavaScript.

Hiring hotspots: London, Manchester, Liverpool.

15. Artificial intelligence

Top jobs: Machine learning engineer, machine learning researcher.

Top skills: Deep learning, machine learning.

Hiring hotspots: London, Cambridge, Manchester.

LinkedIn also collected the equivalent data for France, Germany and the Netherlands. Here’s a snapshot of those findings:

France’s fastest growing job sectors 

1. Supermarkets and retail

Top jobs: Order processor, cashier, retail stock clerk, packager, retail specialist.

Top skills: Teamwork, organizational skills, commerce, merchandising.

Hiring hotspots: Paris, Lyon, Marseille.

2. Specialized medical professionals 

Top jobs: Nurse, certified nursing assistant, medical doctor, pharmacist, pharmacy specialist, psychometrist. 

Top skills: Nursing, certified nursing assistant, healthcare, pharmacy, medicine, hospitals.

Hiring hotspots: Paris, Lyon, Orleans.

3. Real estate

Top jobs: Real estate agent, real estate consultant, property manager, real estate developer, real estate specialist.

Top skills: Real estate, real estate transactions, real estate development, community management, social media.

Hiring hotspots: Paris, Marseille, Lyon. 

4. Health care supporting staff

Top jobs: Medical secretary, dental assistant, healthcare assistant, medical specialist.

Top skills: Appointment scheduling, clerical skills, telephone reception, teamwork, public speaking.

Hiring hotspots: Paris, Lyon, Lille.

5. Logistics and supply chain

Top jobs: Logistics operator, supply chain associate, inventory control specialist, logistics planner.

Top skills: Logistics management, organizational skills, teamwork, French.

Hiring hotspots: Paris, Lyon, Lille, Orleans.

Germany’s fastest growing job sectors

1. Digital content freelancers

Top jobs: Blogger, podcaster.

Top skills: Podcasting, online moderation, blogging, WordPress.

Hiring hotspots: Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt. 

2. Legal

Top jobs: Legal administrator, law clerk.

Top skills: Corporate law, legal research, legal writing.

Hiring hotspots: Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne.

3. E-commerce support workers

Top jobs: Package handler, order picker, supply chain assistant, e-commerce coordinator, online specialist, logistics supervisor, warehouse team lead.

Top skills: Forklift operation, logistics management, packaging design, warehouse operations.

Hiring hotspots: Leipzig, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg.

4. Real estate 

Top jobs: Realtor associate, real estate agent, commercial real estate specialist, real estate consultant, director of real estate.

Top skills: Business management, real estate, real estate economics.

Hiring hotspots: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne.

5. Social media and digital marketing

Top jobs: Social media coordinator, social media manager, content strategist, growth hacker, digital marketing specialist, marketing strategist, brand specialist, chief marketing officer.

Top skills: Social media marketing, influencer marketing, content strategy, growth hacking, online marketing, content marketing, brand management.

Hiring hotspots: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt.

The fastest growing job sectors in the Netherlands

1. Education

Top jobs: Physical education teacher, mathematics teacher, professor, elementary school teacher, teaching assistant.

Top skills: Teaching, coaching, educational leadership, chemistry, art education, science, physics.

Hiring hotspots: Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven.

2. Specialized medical professionals

Top jobs: Medical doctor, licensed practical nurse, intensive care nurse, radiologist, dentist.

Top skills: Nursing, radiology, dentistry, anesthesiology, medical education.

Hiring hotspots: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Nijmegen.

3. Customer service

Top jobs: Customer contact representative, customer service representative, client service representative.

Top skills: Customer experience, time management, customer service, communication.

Hiring hotspots: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, The Hague, Nijmegen.

4. E-commerce

Top jobs: Order picker, e-commerce coordinator, supply chain associate, warehouse team lead.

Top skills: E-commerce, warehouse operations, search engine optimization (SEO), supply chain management.

Hiring hotspots: Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Tilburg.

5. Health care supporting staff