Britons Branch Out in Job Searches as Postings Get Scarce

(Bloomberg) -- Job aspirants in the U.K. are increasingly looking for roles in new areas as the pandemic shrinks the market.

The share of “blank” job searches in the U.K., or people looking for every available spot, went up 5 percentage points to 28% over the year to June 2020, according to a report by the website Indeed on Wednesday. Those looking switch sectors include those in industries hit hardest by the pandemic, like food service, beauty and wellness, and hospitality and tourism.

Competition for work could rise further as the U.K. government's job retention program starts to phase out. Almost a third of British firms expected to decrease the size of their workforce in the next three months due to a severe cash crunch.

Read more: U.K. firms face dwindling cashflows as government support tapers

However, some sectors still aren't getting as many workers as they need. Vacancies for nursing staff and teachers are still as hard to fill as before the crisis, said Indeed.

Conversely, the searches for positions requiring low qualifications is rising. Sectors like hospitality, customer service and administration, which already had a high clicks-per-posting ratio, have become even more competitive.

Over 1.5 million job seekers in the U.K. updated their resumes on the website in the past three months. Yet listings fell 59% in June and July compared to last year, with low and mid-income employment hit the hardest.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.