Member Article

Sunderland named third worst place to find work

Sunderland is one of the hardest places in the country to find a job, with an average of 54 applicants per position, according to new research.

The UK’s top 50 cities were ranked by comparing job vacancies to the number of claimants in each location. Job titles and categories were also analysed to determine which positions ar more in demand.

Job seekers were shown to have hugely varied prospects across the country, with large variations in the types of roles in demand in different locations.

Aberdeen was found to be the easiest place to find a job, with more vacancies than it had unemployed, a statistic attributed to the city’s strong oil and gas sector. Southern cities made up the rest of the top 5, indicating the presence of a North-South divide.

Sunderland was the third most difficult place to find work, behind Hull abd Stoke-on-Trent, where there were 80 and 72 applicants per job respectively

Andrew Hunter, Co-Founder of Adzuna, said “Because we list nearly every UK job ad in our search engine, we’re able to see how the employment market is changing on a daily basis.

“Jobseekers can use this information to help them target their job search in the locations in demand and acquire the skills employers are looking for.

“Policymakers should also take note of where the jobs are being created, and make sure that people are being trained in the right skills in the right locations.”

The top jobs in demand across the UK are engineering, IT, sales and marketing, and the need for computer experts and engineers means that salaries for these roles are often over 20% above the national average.

Responding to the statistics, Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council questions the methodology used to compile evidence, which does not account for a high turnover of staff in certain sectors. He believes that this often results in a singly post being advertised up to three times a year.

He commented: “In Sunderland one of our strengths is the loyalty of our workforce and staff turnover is much lower here therefore making the ratio of claimants to job adverts typically higher in Sunderland.

“The survey also highlights regional imbalances in the UK economy so it shows how important it is that we in the North East fight for our corner when it comes to the very limited funds that Government is making available for regeneration and jobs.”

He went on to restate Sunderlands ongoing commitment to attracting investment to the city and the Council’s active promotion of the areas strengths.

Cllr Watson continued: “We have had record levels of inward investment over the past ten years, thousands of jobs have been created and we’re confident that this can continue.

“The City Council and its partners are continuing to help create new jobs, improve educational achievement, increase investment and work towards further improvements.

“The City Council has just announced more major capital investments that will help lever in more private sector investment and there are further developments and investments in the automotive, software, manufacturing sectors, as well as with service sector posts, that are going to boost job creation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .