UK job seekers are finally starting to feel more confident about the current job market and overall job security, after several months of feeling disheartened.
According to latest figures*, UK job seekers are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Confidence about current job market conditions is up over 24% in the last six months.
Even those who were feeling negative about their own job prospects were optimistic about the UK job market in general. The majority of people who had reported feeling “frustrated” or “very negative” about their personal job search in September acknowledged that today’s job market and overall job security is better than it was a year ago — a substantial increase from the previous month. In addition, the percentage of respondents who reported feeling negative about their job searches has also steadily declined month-on-month.
Amanda Augustine, careers expert at TopCV, commented: ”We were surprised to see that confidence in the current job market has grown in spite of the end of the furlough scheme. The fact that redundancies have not been as high as expected may be contributing to a more positive outlook.”
When asked about the current job market and overall job security, other key findings included the following:
Gender
Overall confidence levels amongst men and women were the same in August. Both became more optimistic in September 2021 – particularly women, whose confidence was 4% higher.
Employment status
By and large, overall confidence levels among those employed, as well as those unemployed, have gradually increased. However, in September, unemployed respondents felt slightly more confident than those currently employed.
*Research from The TopCV Job Seeker Sentiment Index