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Top 10 industries

Paul MacKenzie-Cummins | Tuesday 10 June 2008 | 10:28

The skills shortage is biting across all industries but there are some sectors that are still expanding despite the current economic slowdown. Here's ten top industry sectors that are currently enjoying a boom period, have the most vacancies, and offer the best career prospects for the near future.

1. Plumbing

There are over 30,000 unfilled plumbing vacancies in the UK, thanks in part to the expansion of the higher education system that drew people away from skilled trades and apprenticeships. The vacancies are also partly due to Australia’s demand for British plumbers, which has lured many of our trades-people to abandon the UK for a new life Down Under, according to the Institute of Plumbers. Some plumbers can charge as much as £85 call-out fee and earn in excess of £50,000 per annum, whereas the average plumber will typically earn £25-35,000 a year.

2. Construction

With the Olympics in 2012 and Commonwealth Games in 2014 being held in London and Glasgow respectively, in addition to a series of ambitious construction projects throughout the UK over the next six years, demand for construction workers is at an all-time high. Growing at a rate of 17% each year, the industry needs more than 17,000 skilled workers to fulfil these plans, according to the ECITB.

3. Oil and Gas

The recent rise in fuel prices and claims that the world’s existing oil reserves are drying up haven’t stopped oil production. In addition, with a sharp increase in demand from the likes of India and China, not to mention the amount of oil needed to fuel the extra 4 million vehicles that will be on British roads by 2010, new sources need to be tapped into. This has created a booming sector for engineers – some of whom are reported to be commanding rates of £600-700 per day.

4. IT & Computing

The UK’s IT industry is growing at five to eight times the national growth average and needs around 150,000 new entrants every year to meet current levels of demand. However, with 58% of employers struggling to fill positions, this has pushed salaries up to an average of £40,300 per annum. And in the next three years, it is estimated that more than half of the UK’s GDP will be generated by people within this sector as the country moves to a knowledge-based economy, according to the 2007 Developing the Future report. Data analysts and information officers are most in demand.

5. Midwifery

In the next ten years, the UK population is forecast to exceed 70 million – a combination of immigration into the country and the fact that birth rates have continued to rise by 12.5% every year. And with a high proportion of midwives due to retire over the next few year, a further 10,000 new entrants are needed to fill their places, according to the Royal College of Midwives. Salaries now range from around £19,000 for newly qualified midwives to over £36,000 for senior roles.

6. Teaching

With 32,000 vacancies to fill every year and a 10% fall in applicants enrolling on teacher training courses in 2008, there is a huge demand for teachers. Maths, English, History, Chemistry and French teachers are among the most sought after, according to the Policy Exchange. The Government’s Teacher Training Agency is offering £5,000 ‘golden hellos’ to encourage more applicants and newly qualified teachers can expect to earn up to £28,000 per year.

7. Finance

The banking and financial sector currently employs around 350,000 people throughout the UK. And despite fears of mass job losses and the closure of some high-profile financial institutions such as Northern Rock, demand remains relatively robust. The Skills Review suggests that there are around 6,000 vacancies at present, with product analysts, risk managers and credit analysts being the most in demand.

8. Customer Services

Many organisations – particularly within the banking and insurance sectors - who had moved their customer services overseas, particularly to India, have responded to growing public criticism and decided to relocate their operations back to the UK. Indeed, the number of call centres operating in the UK has risen by 21% since 2001 to 6,900 and the industry now employs over 800,000 people, according to the Sector Skills Council. Although the average salary is only £14,300, staff can earn additional bonuses.

9. Public Relations

The media is becoming increasingly specialised and fragmented to the extent that organisations wishing to promote their brand are constantly looking for more cost-effective and targeted ways to get their message across. As such, sizeable chunks of an organisation’s advertising budget are being used for public relations campaigns. The UK PR industry is now worth over £6.5 bn and, with account directors typically earning £53,000 and more a year, it is easy to see why many within the sector set up their own company after a few years in the industry, according to the CIPR.

10. Nursing

Britain’s changing demographic means that demand for more nurses is higher than ever. With 180,000 nurses (one-in-three of all nurses) due to retire in the next ten years added to the fact that over 5,000 nurses a year are leaving the UK to work in Australia and the US, the need for new recruits is evident, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

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