Animal jobs, trade positions, and front line healthcare jobs are some of the most sought after roles of 2022, according to new research*.

The research analysed over 3.8 million UK job vacancies advertised on Adzuna in Q4 2021, looking into the job titles with the highest application rates (calculated as clicks/ads) to reveal the roles most in demand in today’s jobs market.

Pet Sitter positions are the most sought after UK jobs, with an average click/ad rate of 16.2 across the 565 Pet Sitter job ads on offer in Q4 last year, and advertised salaries averaging £24,210. It reflects a growing interest in animal jobs with Animal Handler and Animal Groomer both also featuring within the top 30 most sought after jobs, despite offering lower than average salaries – £23,400 and £21,384 respectively, compared to the current average advertised UK salary of £36,339. Farm Manager roles also feature at number 27, with an average click/ad rate of 4.3, with shows like Clarkson’s Farm leading more Brits to leave cities in search of the good life.

The pandemic has also rejuvenated jobseeker interest for front line healthcare jobs as Brits seek to do their bit to support the health service. NHS Call Handler is the 9th most sought after UK job, with an average click/ad rate of 8.3 across 444 job ads advertised in Q4, despite average advertised salaries of just £21,829. Similarly, Ambulance Care Assistant features 21st with an average click/ad rate of 4.9 across 371 positions on offer in Q4.

Overall, 24 of the 30 most sought after UK jobs offer lower remuneration than the current average advertised UK salary of £36,339, showing money isn’t everything when it comes to filling a role.

Growing demand for trade jobs
The research also shows trade training positions are highly sought after, likely helped by the boom in DIY and home renovations creating hot demand and attractive salaries for skilled tradespeople. Electrician Mate positions saw an average click/ad rate of 4.3, while Plumber Mate roles had an average click/ad rate of 4.1. Both represent positions typically held while tradespeople work as apprentices or towards full qualification and the higher salaries that come with that expertise; advertised salaries for fully qualified Electricians are £37,920 while fully qualified Plumbers can expect £38,182.

Beyond these two further trade roles, Duct Fitter (16th) and Taper Jointer (28th), a role working alongside plasterers to prepare walls, also made the list with click/ad rates of 5.8 and 4.1 respectively.

Last year’s most sought-after job, Flight Attendant/ Cabin Crew, remains one of the most in demand UK roles in 2022 with an average click/ad rate of 14.0 across 162 job ads available last quarter. However this is much lower than the average click/ad rate of 24.1 seen last year, when 1,000s of cabin crew were experiencing pandemic job losses and competing for just a small handful of openings. This movement down the list reflects a recovering Travel sector.

The highest paid role within the top 30 most sought-after jobs is KYC (‘Know Your Customer’) Analyst, seeing average advertised salaries of £50,457 and 348 jobs available. Other high paid, high demand roles include Private Personal Assistant paying £48,030, and Crane Crew Supervisor paying £46,053.

Paul Lewis, chief customer officer at Adzuna, comments: “The most sought after jobs in the UK are roles where workers are doing what they love or giving back to the community, rather than scoring high salaries. Animal jobs are proving particularly popular, with Pet Sitter roles the most clicked on job ads of the thousands of job roles on our site. Lockdown catalysed an increase in pet adoptions and it seems jobseekers are looking to get in on the act by taking on pet sitting jobs. We’ve also seen a surge in interest for roles such as NHS Call Handlers as Brits look to do their part and help the health service. Another interesting trend is the rise in popularity for training trade jobs, suggesting more workers are moving into these areas. After a turbulent two years for the jobs market, workers are reevaluating what they want and retraining or switching industries and the most sought after roles in 2022 reflects this.”

Table 1: The 30 most sought after jobs in the UK

Adzuna*