Anyone else worried about the terrible job market?

[Sorryagain]

I’ve been self employed throughout my professional life - over 30 years. I was in one profession, then broadened out and added more skills and generated a lot of work in another industry.

Both industries are fucked. Tons of redundancies, no hires. Barely any contract work. Lots of people looking. LinkedIn is a cesspit.

I am used to the hustle - but I’ve never known it so hard, nigh on impossible, to get work.

Ive been applying for permanent roles I think I could do - but even with my tons of transferrable skills, such is the market that there are enough people who perfectly fit the job description that I don’t get a look in.

Im lucky in that I have a partner who works - but I want to work. I’m seriously terrified of how bad things are - it’s never been like this for me, ever.

I just wanted to see if others are facing this?

And because I think it’s a combo of AI and cost of living/economics, I can’t see how things will improve.

@Crikeyalmighty If there were closer economic ties with Europe again (ie just trading agreements improved, leaving aside free movement for now) and your business got more sales, would you hire another person (or more than 1) into a job? (Come to that, if you don't mind me asking, did you have to lose any staff when the effects of Brexit kicked in?) I know you are just a sample of one but it's interesting to think about.

My son is 27 and desperate to get a full time, in the office job in Data Science, or Computer Science or anything in that field. He's not fussy where he goes in the country, has a 1st in his Bsc Maths and Finance and Distinction in his Masters (Computer Science) has 3 years of actual work experience but never gets beyond the application stage. He's so depressed now - wishes he had never wasted his time and money going to uni but everyone said it was the way to go and guarantee a job, and I just don't know how to help him.

@blobby10 your son is in a very similar position to my daughter. It's heartbreaking, isn't it? She gets the odd chat with a recruiter, an interview perhaps every couple of months, then nothing.

WFH really doesn't help - she is competing with people from all over, so the companies can pick and choose. Every time you look at a job on LinkedIn there are already 100+ applicants. Also, since most of these jobs are now WFH, if she does get one she will STILL be sitting in her bedroom most days. This is not what I want for her.

@bobajob1 in our case no because of how we work, but we certainly would make more personally and our parent company who we do all our work for would too . I do know quite a few people though who simply took their business ( ones that employed people) and moved to EU and employed locals there because it made more sense.

My son is desperate NOT to WFH - he did that when he had a job last year but the firm went under - and found it incredibly lonely. I wish I knew how to help him - he's tried so many different avenues and I can tell he's getting more and more down - he's usually the most positive person in the world! Sending lots of good luck vibes to your daughter that something turns up soon!! xx

@blobby10 thanks, and same to you and your son. x

@blobby10 and @DuesToTheDirt I'm really sorry to hear about your son/daughter's situation. That must be really heart breaking for you as parents.

The LinkedIn stat is misleading, apparently it tracks everyone who clicks the link as an applicant, regardless of whether they actually applied. And of those who actually do apply, due to the easy few clicks application system hiring managers have to sift through many who are not suitable, don’t upload the proper applications, and sometimes are not even in this country. So don’t let the application stats put you off.

There are hard times ahead and right now. Redundancies along with industries/companies not re-hiring once employees leave is an on-going issue. I can not see an end to this sadly. This is as bad as the 80's in my opinion.

Article on BBC News this morning. Sorry can't copy the link right now.

@Frostykitty this one? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2307p4jjz4o Very depressing.

We were just in Italy and I don't know what the job market is like there, we were only on holiday. But, near our holiday house was a small supermarket and I was astonished that they had about 6 people on tills, plus another few doing things like weighing fruit for people. In my local UK supermarket, which is much bigger, there is only one till open and then another person on the self-service checkouts. It's another world!

The thought of graduates coming out of many degrees rn and not finding work is very concerning.

Well, as the mother of a university student, I can tell you that he and most of his friends are now looking abroad, at least until the job market settles.

Bit I am also an employer and we are stretched beyond anything I have seen in thirty years running my business. We couldn't afford to take anyone on right now.

It’s what happens when you educate 50% of the population to degree level for a job market that doesn’t require anywhere near that amount of graduates.

I've heard of grads having to remove evidence of their degree from their CV to have any chance of getting a non grad job as otherwise they don't get selected for fear they will only be using it as a stop gap.

Imagine paying £60k odd to get a degree and then having to pretend you haven't in order to get work!

My children are early teens and I will caution them very carefully against doing a degree unless there is a clear defined career path. I'm also encouraging them to have a side hustle - eg my daughter is having sewing lessons so she can make money doing alterations when she is older to get by.

How many foreign students get to stay on after their degree -that’s bound to affect availability. And if you depend on a job to get you a visa you are going to be pretty determined to get something.

Correct. It was Blair's terrible idea. Cynically, I wonder whether the governments support this because it makes the unemployment figures look better. Young people have started to realise that most degrees are simply not worth it but, unfortunately, good apprenticeships and few and far between too. I feel really sorry for today's young people. Those who can should go abroad.

If there were structured, viable alternatives for 18 year olds then fewer would have to opt for university.
Not enough companies have structured schemes for 18 yr olds. Law and engineering are two professions that were once viable from 18. Not anymore (or rarely).

You can’t simply do a two year course from 16-18 and become a builder/plumber/electrician etc at the end of it either. Many of the trades depend on trade companies providing adequate, proper apprenticeships and training followed by a viable job market for those recently qualified.

This costs trade companies money, time and resource. They'd prefer to maximise profit and that doesn’t extend to training apprentices where they don’t perceive a benefit to profit.

We award a lot of construction and infrastructure industry contracts and we have to mandate that companies take on apprentices otherwise they wouldn’t do it, Even then it’s treated as a box tick and we expect they jettison the individuals as soon as the min period is over.

What are young people supposed to do?

There are degree apprenticeships but understandably highly sought after and competitive. I feel sorry for today's kids. In my day (graduated late 90s) you didn't have to really think too hard about what you wanted to do until maybe year 3 of uni to then get something to apply for a grad scheme. Year 2 if you were particulary keen. Now they need to start getting themselves ahead of the curve much earlier to be in with a chance.

I think a lot of trades run on 'nepotism' /people you know to bring new people in. Don't have an uncle dave who's been a spark for 30 years? tough luck

@DuesToTheDirt my son had a job!!!! Its in the field he wants - just waiting for security checks then he gets a start date. He's smiling again and happy! Met his team earlier this week who all seem really nice too apparently

Hope your daughter gets a similar result soon! xx

@blobby10 that's fantastic, congratulations to him and thanks for the update.

No luck round here, for my daughter, or my friends, or my friends' children, or my children's friends (I know several people looking for work at the moment!) Hopefully soon...

Agreed, I am in data transformation in fin services and use AI on a daily basis, there are lots of jobs going if you are willing to upskill yourself rapidly and constantly