Employment Prospects in Scotland
First, some key facts:
As you will see from our interview with Caroline Barclay, Branch Manager of OfficeTeam in Edinburgh, things are looking good for PAs in Scotland.
It is estimated that between 2002 and 2007 there will be 88,000 new job openings in administrative and secretarial work, although it will be stronger in the former. Many of these openings will take place to replace retiring workers and most will be of an administrative rather than secretarial function.
The 2001 Census tell us that most administrative and secretarial jobs are employed in the sectors such as:
- Public administration, defence and social security;
- Real estate, rending and business activities;
- Financial intermediation
- Health and social work
- Wholesale and retail trade
- Manufacturing
- Education
Futureskills Scotland undertook a survey in 2003 which shows the job structure in Rural Scotland tends to be different to that of the rest of the Scotland. Rural Scotland consists of the Highlands and Islands, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.
There are just over 24,000 workplaces in Rural Scotland and together they employ about 240,000, roughly 11% of those in employment.
| Role | Rural Scotland | Rest of Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Managerial and senior official | 11% | 12% |
| Professional | 10% | 13% |
| Associate professional and technical | 7% | 9% |
| Administrative and secretarial | 11% | 13% |
| Skilled trades | 11% | 9% |
| Personal services | 12% | 7% |
| Sales and customer services | 12% | 14% |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | 12% | 18% |
| Elementary occupations | 15% | 14% |
Which sectors do people work in?
Futureskills Scotland's Employers Skills Survey in 2003 showed that small businesses feature heavily in the Scottish economy. But which industries employ most of the workforce?
| Sector | Rural Scotland | Rest of Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 4% | 1% |
| Manufacturing | 14% | 14% |
| Wholesale and Retail | 16% | 15% |
| Hotel and restaurants | 11% | 8% |
| Transport, storage and communication | 6% | 5% |
| Financial intermediation | 1% | 6% |
| Real estate and activities | 8% | 12% |
| Public admin, education and defence | 18% | 13% |
| Health and social work | 12% | 14% |
| Other | 6% | 7% |
So which industries are hot to trot? Futureskills Scotland's Labour Market Projections in 2004 suggest four service industries are expected to dominate employment growth as follows:
| Retail and Distribution | +19000 |
| Banking and Insurance | +20000 |
| Business Services | +15000 |
| Health and Education | +15000 |
Which occupational group will enjoy the biggest leap in opportunities?
Managerial, Professional and Associate Professional and technical occupational groups will need 270,000 new workers by 2008. Get training and studying, and continue to expand your role and take on new responsibilities if you want to make the most of the opportunities ahead.
What are the skills gaps employers have identified in all employment groups?
Employers reported skills shortages (not just with administrative and secretarial staff) in competences such as:
- Technical and practical skills
- Customer handling skills
- Problem solving
- Oral communication
- Team working
- Planning and organising
To cater for these when recruiting staff, they used a variety of methods to solve recruitment problems, including using wider channels of recruitment and widening the range of applicants they were prepared to consider.
To find out more about the various opportunities and the sectors which are strong in each of Scotland's regions, click here
What does this mean for you?
Actions to take:
- Watch the press – keep your eye out for any new employment sites near you which could provide that perfect next role.
- Consider starting up on your own – why not set up your own freelance or virtual assistant business to help new companies setting up?
- Find out more about the different sectors in your region, especially those which interest you, so that you can be aware of opportunities within them which might provide you with your next role!
Don't miss opportunities by hiding your head under the duvet ââ¬â get out there are look at what's going on around you!
