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Updated 18th April 2024
With recovery slow after the huge economic impact of the pandemic, and current global upheaval disturbing markets, PLUS the cost of living crisis, it’s easy to see why many people are worried about their jobs, while others know it could be time to change careers to secure their future.
Here are some professions you should consider if you’re looking for a change:
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1. Adult Social Care
Adult social care is a bigger employment sector than the NHS – and yet there are around 152,000 open vacancies. This number reduced slightly when the Government introduced the Health and Care Worker Visa, but with strict immigration laws in place now, the number of open vacancies remain open as retirement living centres, residential carers, and those working with adults with learning or physical disabilities in independent living homes cry out for support workers.
You don’t need qualifications to get started in many adult social care professions, as training will be provided. Hours can also be more flexible if you want a part-time job, and others might offer accommodation with the role as a live-in carer. If you’re compassionate and like people, adult social work could be for you. Most jobs will require a DBS check – it is worth registering for the annual check update to ensure your DBS is always up to date which makes moving jobs much easier.
2. Architects
This is one of those long-game professions that will pay off big time. Training to be an architect takes seven years – but the end result can be a healthy salary of £80,000 or more.
You can train solely on a university course, or take an architect apprenticeship which gives you work experience and a salary to learn ‘on the job’. Starting salaries for fully qualified architects are around £30,000 quickly rising to £75,000 or above, particularly in London and other metropolitan areas.
Architects are in demand as the UK tries to keep up with the need for more housing as well as improving city centres with public architecture that is accessible and provides pleasant surroundings. It is the type of job that will always be needed, even as we move into a digital age – computers can do the drawings, perhaps, but the vision and skill required will always be human-focused.
3.Programmers and Developers
Software developers and computer programmers are in increasingly high demand as world digitisation shows no sign of slowing down. Companies that previously had openly spoken against tech developments like AI are now investing in the UK and crying out for staff – such as Microsoft’s new centre for AI, which is opening in London soon.
It might seem that getting a computer job while we’re teaching computers how to run without our input is putting yourself out of a future job, but that won’t be the case. AI is a tool that will always need human input at some stage – and we’re still very early stages in the technology development. A software developer starting salary is around £26,000 but can quickly and easily rise to well into six figures for those who show they can handle complex scripts and have good problem solving skills.
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4. Plumbers, Bricklayers, Construction Workers
Professions that can’t be automated, like plumbers and construction workers, are in dire need of new recruits. A recent study by Checkatrade revealed over a million new recruits are needed in the trades to fill the huge skills gap the industry currently faces.
Some of the problem is recent changes to UK immigration law, which has eliminated a large portion of the potential workforce from qualifying and taking up vacancies. Schools are also not promoting the possibilities of apprenticeships to their students, while parents are worried about the stigma of taking an apprenticeship instead of following a university-based further career path and that it might limit their child’s financial opportunities.
These fears are unfounded: the average salary for a qualified contract plumber in the UK is £31,000 – and self-employed plumbers earn around 8% more. Bricklayers can expect to start on around £20,000 rising quickly to an average £46,000. Carpenters and joiners earn an average of £37,000 a year rising to over £50,000 with experience. These salaries also rise considerably if you take further qualifications and specifications, such as being able to operate heavy machinery.
5. Drivers
Logistics companies and local courier services are crying out for drivers. The pandemic saw so many businesses turn to online ordering and delivery – and most have kept it in the years since. Food delivery, for example, is a popular way for many people to earn some extra money on the side a few nights a week – and there are always vacancies because it’s a service that is in constant demand.
There is a national shortage of bus and coach drivers, which impacts travel infrastructure. Since the pandemic, there has also been a shortage of national and international HGV drivers. In response to this, the Government is considering relaxing the age rules from the current minimum age of 21, to allow for recruiting drivers from a wider age range.
Professions in driving don’t have to be something that takes you away from home for a long time – such as bus and coach drivers working relatively regular shifts in a local area on a salary around £30,000 a year. However, if you are prepared to drive longer distances, the salary can be significantly higher: an HGV driver can earn upwards of £50,000 a year.
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Disclaimer:Â MoneyMagpie is not a licensed financial advisor and therefore information found here including opinions, commentary, suggestions or strategies are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only. This should not be considered as financial advice. Anyone thinking of investing should conduct their own due diligence.