UK job market right now

So, we all know that the UK job market is crazy right now. It’s not as awesome. Like 2021, 2022. I mean, literally 2021, 2022 was the best year for recruitment. I mean, a lot of people got jobs like zero to no qualifications. Long as you’re able to work, you’re going to get a job. But right now, it’s like even with your qualifications, experience is like is very competitive right now. So, I’m going to be sharing with you as an immigrant living in the UK, how you can break into the job market, the current job market, how you can stand out, what you can do differently to land that job.

If you are an immigrant living in the UK

If you are an immigrant living in the UK, you’re trying to understand what the job market looks like right now. Trust me, you’re not alone. And how you can stand out and get a job even when the competition is high, then this is for you. I’ve done thorough research and put this together. So today we’re going to talk about what the job market looks like, what are the real numbers, what you can do to stand out and why there’s unemployment rate right now and compared to 2021/2022 when job was out there. So UK employers are looking for these days and what you can do as an immigrant to get employed fast. That’s it. The UK employment rate in 2022 was about 4% meaning only around four out of every 100 people were actively looking for work and they could easily find one.

Fast forward to 2025

Fast forward to 2025 and the employment rate for people aed 16 to 64 is around 75%. So roughly 3/4ers of the working age people in the UK are employed. Now when we look at migrants specifically there was a census that was published um in 2021 data which shows something really important among people age 16 to 64 about 64% of people working in the UK and nonUK born people and they are employed compared to the 71% of UK born people. So if you’re an immigrant you are working but you still face a gap compared to people born here. That is why strategies matters. You remember in 2019/2020 that was the COVID recovery that we’re still in COVID and a lot of businesses were closed. They were cutting staff. No one is hiring because the economy is shaking.

But in 2021 of 2022

But in 2021 of 2022 things were more stable. Businesses are open hiring started. That was why I mean that period even if you did not have experience you going to get a job as long as you applied. They were willing to train you and you know help you settle your role. But right now there are more people and lower job. I wouldn’t say there are no jobs. Okay, there are jobs but what employers are looking for right now is like it’s more and also some the easiest jobs are taken. So there are niche jobs that people are not really looking into and that’s where like they need people and again most companies are cutting down a lot of redundancy going on but I feel like even though there’s competitions there’s low employment rates if you are strategic you will still land that job.

A government skill report

A government skill report also shows the demand is growing in strong key sectors like digital and technology, creative industries, house building and clean energy sustainability. In fact, clean energy is projected to need the fast workforce growing between 2025 to 2030 and is growing about 77% growth rate. I mean, one of the reasons I keep telling Grant’s community to look into green and sustainable career is the demand is real in the UK.

Next time your little one blows out birthday candles

The UK employers are currently focused on two kind of skills which is number one the technical and digital skills and even if you are not in tech digital knowledge is now a bonus in almost every sector. Things like Excel you know basic data understanding using digital tools and even things like AI assisted work is now very important. When you go for interviews, they ask what softwares, what tools can you use, what can you say like you need to start learning tools. We have sales for CRM, AI tools, so many other you know work rellated tools. You need to learn those things.

Number two employers are looking for soft skills

Number two, employers are looking for soft skills like employers want people who can communicate clearly, work in teams, who can adapt quickly and who can solve problems without any drama independently. So when you apply they ask you what they are looking for what they are checking is can this person do this job can this person learn fast can they communicate well they fit into the team okay so it has nothing to do with whether you’re a person of color or anything it has to do with you preparing or positioning yourself in a way that you are employable okay so when you go for interviews and you’re not getting it sometimes when you read this job roles you be like I can do this but if you’re not selling yourself well to show them that you can do it.

They’re not going to take you and they’re not just looking of who can do it. They’re looking for does this person fit into the team? Can this person work in this team? What is the team dynamics and all of those things?

So what migrants must understand

So, what migrants must understand is to stand out. This is the part that is very very important for us migrants, especially with the cultural differences. We’re coming from different cultural background. The UK is totally different. The workforce is different. So, even if you have a degree or you experience from abroad, many UK employers still don’t automatically understand it. they don’t understand your culture. So you have to translate your experience from abroad to the UK language. Let’s say for example instead of saying I was a supervisor in Nigeria say I supervised a team of eight staff and improved service delivery by 20%. Employers want to hear response and want to see a result than job titles. Even on your CV if you see my CV like you see percentage or I did this in the team I did that and I able to change this is the result I got 20% 30%. They want to see what you are doing and the results you are getting.

So another big thing

So another big thing that people don’t look into is the LinkedIn. People think that LinkedIn is only for applying for jobs. No, LinkedIn is your digital CV, your networking space and your visibility tool. Recruiters check LinkedIn before calling people. So, your profile needs to show what you do, what you’re good at. I mean, the value you’re bringing into the company. Don’t hide your story. Some employers actually like seeing your journey. And as an immigrant, you can share your journey in the UK. Tell a story. I mean, I know it’s a professional space, but you can tell the story in a professional way that shows your journey as an immigrant in the UK and your achievements. Share your journey and your resilience, especially if you frame it in a professional way.

like let me break it down

like let me break it down into six practical things you can start doing immediately. Number one, translate your overseas experience properly to UK words and show results. Make it easy for recruiter to see your skills. And number two, add at least one UK recognized certificate to your certification if you’ve not done so already. This can be a short course, nothing too expensive, it’s just proof you are adapting into the UK system. Take for example like me now. I was working in an organization that had nothing to do with HR and HR was something I’m passionate about. Even though I’m working in a role that has nothing to do with HR and I know that okay, this is the career path I want to take. What I did is I invested some money to get my CIP qualification. Aside from that, I applied for skill boot camp which I got some certification in understanding the climate change and sustainability because I also want to go into green energy like grain industry.

Okay but I want to go into grain industry

Okay. But I want to go into grain industry like a recruiter. I want to be recruiting for green jobs. But again, I need to be able to understand the job as well to position myself. So I knew I wanted to be a HR professional. And I got a certificate which is equivalent to diploma and I also have like a level three certification in green energy and sustainability. It’s hard work. Trust me. Your reading, your writing exam is very stressful. But it’s something I was passionate about. Now I have to certificate that is here in the UK. So you also need to build your network. It’s very important. Okay, your LinkedIn group. Attend webinars in person. Talk to people in your field. You don’t have to do it in person. On LinkedIn, when you see people’s comments and you’re in your field, leave a comment. Build that connection. Join the UK job. I mean through networking a lot.

Show integration and adaptability

Show integration and adaptability. Don’t say you’re hardworking. Give examples like I worked in diverse team. I worked in this team and I achieved this. You need to show that you can adapt quickly to new systems. So during interview, you tell them, I learned very quick. I learn new tools very quick. I’m very good with technology. You need to also apply in growth sectors. The job market is so competitive right now that if you’re just randomly applying to jobs without being strategic, you’re not going to get it. Don’t scatter your application. Target sectors that are hiring strongly right now. Okay? So there are so many sectors in the UK that are still in demand even with the low unemployment rate. Preparing for UK interview like tell me about a time when question. So practice your story ahead of time. I tell people that interview for me is like storytelling. Like I love storytelling in the first place. Anyway, interview for me is like storytelling.

So when somebody is telling me

So when somebody is telling me oh faith tell me about a time you made something something in your team what did you do differently and what was your result like I see it as story which is I have a beginning I have middle and I have the ending. I tell you I introduce the problem what I did even though it might be like with is the whole same thing what me I did differently I make it about myself I did this and did that and I was able to achieve so results at the end of the day so like for me I see interview as storytelling if you can tell your story you can sell it then trust me you will not you would get every single job you’ve applied for since I’ve been living in the UK for the past 5 years I’ve worked in five different organization only once have I been bounced from an interview so every single interview I’ve gone for I’ve gotten it for me interview is more like storytelling.

so let me quickly tell you about job areas

so let me quickly tell you about job areas that are growing and have strong recruitment which is number one is tech digital and data clean energy and sustainability they are fast growing remember 77% growth projection healthcare and social care skilled trade and construction digital marketing and content roles those are like the in demand right now in the UK and of course you cannot take away from AI so these area are good because they care more about skills than UK experience. Only if you position yourself well, employers are more likely to train you or sponsor you.

And the long-term is the safest future pathway in terms of combining digital skills. For example, your main career plus a digital skill. Let’s take example now you’re like in healthcare plus data. So you could be a health care professional in the health industry for example. Now, construction plus digital planning, sustainability plus project support, that makes you harder to be replaced.

So look for skills that are like in demand

So, look for skills that are like in demand and build yourself. Make yourself so important that you’ll be harder to replace. Right now, the UK job market has low employment rate and is very competitive. So, employers want to see skills like communication, adaptability, and prove you can deliver. So as an immigrant, you can stand out by translating your experience properly, adding UK recognized training, build your network, target growth sectors, and prepare for UK style interviews.