Employers look for jobseekers with leadership skills for 2021

The study analysed over 600,000 UK job ads advertised in 2020 and just under 150,000 jobseeker CVs to compare the skills sought after by employers with the skills shown by jobseekers, revealing the skills growing in demand and current skills gaps.

As we head into 2021, many industries are still working largely remotely with COVID-19 having dramatically changed the world of work. Employers are placing greater emphasis on Coaching, Onboarding and Decision Making skills compared to a year ago, as hiring and leading teams through the pandemic is a particular focus. Coaching skills were referenced in 3.7% of job ads in 2020, up from 3.3% in 2019, making it the skill growing most in popularity. Onboarding is second, referenced in 0.7% of job ads in 2020, up from 0.4%, as the rise in remote working has driven a need for more onboarding specialists. Decision Making is 4th, cited in 1.5% of job ads, up from 1.3%.

This sharpened focus on skilled staff is also seen in job vacancy numbers. Overall, advertised UK vacancies are down 35.8% compared to a year ago, but entry-level graduate vacancies are down 61.0% year-on-year. And there are just over 8,000 advertised graduate vacancies currently available, compared to over 22,000 of the highest-paid roles with advertised salaries over £70,000, typically suitable for more experienced jobseekers.

Jobseekers with Digital Marketing skills and GDPR knowledge are also in growing demand as employers focus on harnessing the power of the internet, rather than bricks and mortar stores and offices, to reach their customers. Digital Marketing was cited on 1.0% of all job ads in 2020, up from 0.9% in 2019, yet just 5% of jobseekers mention the skill on their CV. Similarly, GDPR featured in 1.1% of job ads in 2020, up from 1.0% in 2019, with 4.3% of jobseekers citing the skill on their CV.

Tech skills growing in demand

There is a significant skills gap within the Tech industry across the UK. There are over 81,700 IT jobs currently on offer in the UK, accounting for 8.3% of total hiring, however, IT skills are only mentioned in 6.8% of UK CVs. This has increased slightly from 6.10% in 2019, but it still highlights a notable gap in an industry that boasts an average salary of £53,518 (45.0% above the national average of £36,903).

Many specific tech skills are also growing in demand among employers. Programming language Python was cited in 1.6% of job ads in 2020, up from 1.5% in 2019. This is also the most common coding language referenced on jobseekers CVs, found in 6.9%, compared to the 5.6% of jobseekers referencing Java, and just 0.5% mentioning Perl. 4,479 job ads overall require Coding skills.

Cyber Security, AI and Machine Learning are three more skills growing in demand. Cyber Security was cited in 0.6% of job ads in 2020, up from 0.5% in 2019, with 1.7% of jobseekers currently referencing this skill on their CV. Meanwhile AI and Machine Learning are cited by 0.5% and 0.6% of job ads respectively.

By contrast, the skills gap within Digital has decreased year-on-year. There are 45,800 Digital jobs across the UK, equal to 14.8% of all vacancies. However, the number of jobseekers showcasing digital skills on their CV has increased year-on-year from 16.7% to 19.3%, closing the skills gap in this sector.

Growing competition for Design jobs

Competition for design-based jobs is higher than average this year.  Design skills are featured on just over a third of UK CV’s (34.7%) this year. This has increased from 32.5% in 2019 and has closed the skills gap in a highly competitive industry. There are currently over 4,400 Creative & Design sector jobs on offer across the UK, but this is 41.9% lower than a year ago, meaning competition is at an all-time high.

Jobseekers should consider most in-demand skills when switching careers

In total, 1 in 4 UK workers (25.0%) are considering a career change for 2021, according to an Adzuna survey of 1,900 workers conducted between June and December 2020 - making understanding the top skills employers are looking for more important than ever. In answer to the question ‘Are you considering a career change for 2021’ 6.8% of respondents said they are ‘definitely looking to change career’ in 2021, 7.2% of respondents said they would ‘consider changing career’ in 2021, and a further 11.0% said they ‘wouldn’t rule it out’.

In response to this huge demand among jobseekers to change their career, as well as rising redundancies and a lack of practical support in the wider market, Adzuna has launched a new tool called CareerPaths to help jobseekers explore their career options based on their current skill set.

Languages can also help secure a job

French is the most sought after language in the UK job market, with 2,908 active vacancies looking for French speakers in the UK. German is the 2nd most in-demand language with 2,457 active job vacancies, while Spanish rounds out the top 3 with 1,704 open job vacancies. French is the most common second language with 12.1% of CV’s referencing French as a skill or qualification. In comparison 9.6% of CVs reference Spanish, 6.0% cite German and 5.6% reference Italian. There is a notable opportunity for Mandarin speakers with only 1% referencing the language and 893 open opportunities for Mandarin speakers.

Cited by just 3.2% of jobseekers on their CV, Arabic is becoming more sought-after by employers, with 0.13% of job ads referencing the language in 2020, up from 0.10% in 2019. Similarly, Sign Language was referenced in 0.08% of job ads in 2020, up from 0.06% in 2019, with 984 jobseekers citing BSL on their CV in 2020 and 300 citing ASL.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “The hiring landscape changed dramatically over 2020 and hiring patterns shifted with a different set of skills needed for 2021. Leadership skills such as onboarding and decision-making have grown in demand as employers seek experienced staff to help them navigate through the COVID-19 crisis. That’s also borne out in job vacancies, where openings for more experienced staff have recovered more quickly than those for entry level positions.

“With one-in-four Brits looking to change careers in 2021, making sure sought-after skills are front and centre on your CV is crucial when applying for a job. A good starting point is using a tool like CareerPaths to explore viable career options based on your skill set and current opportunities. Jobseekers should then showcase these skills within their applications to help them stand out from others when applying for a new role.”