Economy
If you are planning to work in the United Kingdom, you may be interested in knowing that the U.K. is the third-largest economy in Europe and the seventh-largest economy in the world. It is a global trading power and financial center. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is over US$2.4 trillion (World Bank 2011). The United Kingdom ranked twenty-eighth out of 142 countries on the Legatum Institute Economy Sub-Index (2013).
The U.K. is one of the top ten manufacturing countries globally and the second largest exporter of services. Exports in 2012 totaled US$679 billion and imports were US$728 billion. The United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union (EU) provides companies located in the country easy access to nearly 500 million consumers in the EU. More foreign companies have their European headquarters in the U.K. than in France and Germany combined.
In 2008, the global financial crisis hit the U.K. economy particularly hard due to the importance of its financial sector. Economic measures were put in place to bring the country out of recession, but the recovery failed to gain any traction. The country is in its first “double-dip” recession since the economic turmoil of 1975 and is now in its longest economic slump in more than a century. The 2013 consensus forecast for GDP growth in the U.K. is just 0.1 percent. Unemployment remains just below 8 percent and inflation is 2.4 percent.
Finding a Job
Finding a job even in the best of times requires patience and skill, but faced with an economy mired in a double-dip recession, the job-hunting challenge in the U.K. will test your mettle. On the plus side, the U.K. is the seventh largest economy in the world, a major global business center, a European Union leader and English is spoken.
To get started, the government’s website has one of the U.K.’s largest databases of job vacancies, which is updated constantly. Another source to check is local newspapers, print or online versions. Newspapers also keep you up to date on which companies are moving into the area and which are expanding. Recruitment agencies are a valuable resource since they advertise short and long-term jobs and some specialize in particular areas of work. Networking events and conferences are also a good way of meeting new contacts. Be sure to plug-in to the expat network in your new location. Online forums and bulletin boards, expat clubs, bloggers and even local expat small business owners are good ways to make connections. Jobcentre Plus is a paid service that offers advisers to work with you. Once you find a job you are interested in, the adviser will tell you how to apply, arranges an interview or sends you an application form.
The job categories for work in the United Kingdom currently most in demand are: health and social care, pharmaceuticals, corporate governance, education, information technology, social housing management, credit control, commissioning and procurement, litigation and energy.
To get you started, here are a few websites that may help you in your job search:
Monster
Indeed