The once-chronic imbalance between British employers’ need for recruits with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills and the number of candidates is easing, according to data released by the world’s biggest job site Indeed.
Indeed’s analysis reveals that at the start of 2014 the number of STEM vacancies outnumbered candidates by nearly two to one. Yet by July 2017 the number of people searching on Indeed for STEM jobs had reached 90% of the number of vacancies.
The table below compares jobseekers’ interest in STEM jobs with the number of vacancies. The ratio has risen from 0.57 in January 2014 to 0.90 in July 2017, showing the supply of suitable candidates has now almost caught up with employer demand.
The analysis also reveals a generational split among jobseekers, with Millennials and Generation Xers the most interested in STEM jobs. Indeed’s data shows 30-somethings are the keenest on STEM roles (they are 16% more likely to search for a STEM job than other work).
By contrast Baby Boomers are less attracted to STEM – candidates aged between 61 and 65 are 38% less likely to look for STEM jobs than other roles.
STEM careers aren’t the exclusive preserve of graduates, and 13% of the 200 most popular STEM jobs listed on Indeed are entry level roles that don’t require a university qualification. The most popular of these junior roles is chiropractic assistant – with an average of 30 jobseekers clicking on each vacancy.
Top 10 most popular entry level STEM jobs
|
Rank |
Job title
|
Candidates per job listing |
|
1 |
Chiropractic assistant |
30 |
|
2 |
Patient care assistant |
25 |
|
3 |
Laboratory assistant |
24 |
|
4 |
Clinical assistant |
21 |
|
5= |
Senior research assistant |
20 |
|
5= |
Senior biomedical technician |
20 |
|
7= |
Health unit coordinator |
18 |
|
7= |
Senior phlebotomist |
18 |
|
7= |
Senior laboratory assistant |
18 |
|
10 |
Research assistant |
17 |
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britain’s biggest STEM recruiter is also its biggest employer – the NHS. From January 2017 to September 2017, the NHS listed nearly 5,000 STEM vacancies on Indeed.
Britain’s top 20 STEM recruiters
|
Rank
|
Employer |
Most in-demand vacancy
|
Total vacancies listed (Jan-July 2017) |
|
1 |
NHS |
X-ray technician |
4926 |
|
2 |
Imperial College London |
Research associate |
3059 |
|
3 |
Specsavers |
Optical assistant |
1535 |
|
4 |
PWC |
IT security specialist |
970 |
|
5 |
University College London |
Research associate |
849 |
|
6 |
Accenture |
Software architect |
777 |
|
7 |
JP Morgan Chase |
Application developer |
748 |
|
8 |
University of Oxford |
Research assistant |
730 |
|
9 |
Jaguar Land Rover |
Lead engineer |
719 |
|
10 |
Alliance Healthcare |
Application analyst |
718 |
|
11 |
Barclays |
Analyst |
715 |
|
12 |
Caresoft |
Analyst |
638 |
|
13 |
Vision Express |
Optical assistant |
617 |
|
14 |
Deloitte |
Technology consultant |
534 |
|
15 |
General Electric |
Software engineer |
522 |
|
16 |
University of Cambridge |
Research associate |
519 |
|
17= |
Citibank |
Analyst |
502 |
|
17= |
Sky |
Development operations engineer |
502 |
|
19 |
Morgan Stanley |
Java developer |
498 |
|
20 |
University of Manchester |
Research associate |
453 |
Mariano Mamertino, EMEA economist at the global job site, Indeed, comments:
“The UK is becoming an increasingly knowledge-based economy, and employers are crying out for people with STEM skills. Even companies not operating in the tech sector require growing support from STEM workers.
“Skills gaps can hamper productivity and hold back economic growth, so it’s great news that the message about STEM is getting through – and more people are seeking STEM careers.
“This summer the number of A-Level students taking STEM subjects rose again, which bodes well for the future too.
“Even though the STEM skills gap is easing, employer demand still exceeds the number of suitable candidates – meaning those who leave school or university with good STEM qualifications can take their pick from a range of challenging and rewarding careers.”