A new skills and employment trends report has highlighted an auditing skills gap in the London jobs market – as the most sought-after technical skills by employers in the region is revealed.
With the ending of the furlough scheme in March 2021, and recent data suggesting 19% of furloughed 18 to 24year olds were unemployed in September – a study by online learning provider The Skills Network, in partnership with Emsi, has highlighted auditing, agile software methodology and accounting, as three of the most sought-after skills in London during the Covid-19 period.
The report, which analysed 1.5 million UK job adverts in between March and September 2020, also highlighted a 21% increase in mental health related skills being listed – and it is now one of the most in demand skills in the country.
The list in full reads (with the number of appearances of each skill within job postings):
- Auditing – 51,660
- Agile software methodology – 51,190
- Accounting – 49,815
- Business development – 48,247
- Financial services – 40,980
- Python (programming language) – 37,950
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – 37,156
- SQL (programming language) – 35,893
- Customer relationship management – 31,261
- Amazon web services – 30,788
Mark Dawe, Chief Executive from The Skills Network, said: ““Employers have long required mental health-related skills for roles in health, care and education, but the ability to identify and address mental illness has become desirable for most employers during the Covid pandemic.
NOW READ: Business leaders draw-up fresh proposal to help forgotten companies
“In 2019, mental health skills were mentioned as a key requirement for applicants within 197,000 adverts in the UK job market– and it’s anticipated the 2020 figure will be double this by the end of the year.
“With unemployment figures rising and the government furlough scheme coming to an end, our report provides job seekers with the knowledge of the most in-demand skills in the job market, right now – and the insight into the key areas to focus any training.
“To assist those looking to discover the most in-demand skills in their local area, we have developed an online app, which will provide a personalised list of the top 15 sought-after skills and roles available in your postcode area.
“At The Skills Network, we offer distance learning, as a way of learning remotely and achieving new qualifications without attending lessons or lectures in a classroom.
“We’d urge anyone currently looking for their next role to consider online learning as a way to bolster their CV – and to tap-into the knowledge of the skills that employers are recruiting for, right now.”
For the latest headlines from the City of London and beyond, follow City Matters on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
