61% don’t believe they have the skills to enter most sought after industries

After five years of falling outside the top three, engineering is now at the top of the list of most desirable sectors to work, overtaking IT & Communications (ITC), which held the top spot for the previous four years. Sixty percent of respondents, a 10% increase from 2021, said they were willing to work in the Engineering sector.

According to the new research from Randstad, surveying  163,000 working-age people, ITC has fallen to third place at 58%. The study also revealed that 70% of workers are open to job opportunities. Forty-eight percent are willing to quit their jobs if the work stops them from enjoying their lives. A further 34%  admitted to leaving a role because it didn’t fit within their personal life.

Second on the list of attractive sectors is the Automotive industry at 59%. In fourth place is the Agriculture sector at 57%, followed by the FMCG sector at 55%.

The study also found that different regions in the world have different views as to what the most attractive sectors are. For example, European respondents ranked the Automotive sector as number one (46%), followed by Life Sciences (44%) and Industrial (44%).

The Automotive sector was also in the top position (73%) in Latin America, followed by Industrial (68%) and FMCG (68%).

According to the study, even though workers are attracted to certain industries, 61% feel they don’t have the skills required to enter the industry. Sixty-five percent believe they lack the skills to work in the engineering industry. Some industries are even higher, such as the chemical sector, at 72%, and the construction sector at 69%.

On the other hand, 46% believe that the skills to work in the retail industry, and 43% believe they have the skills for the hospital industry. A further 42%  believed they had the required skills for the ITC sector. In addition, the research indicated that more white-collar workers (41%) feel that they have the skills to work in any sector, whereas only 34% of blue-collar workers feel this way.

The research also showed that 76% of employees agree that being offered the chance to reskill, while only 61% feel that their employers offer these opportunities.

Joanna Irwin, Randstad CMO, commented: “This year’s Randstad Employer Brand Research signals that the tides are changing in terms of which sectors are seen as the most attractive for employees. Increasingly, talent wants to work in sectors that make an impact in both the physical and digital world.

There’s still a job to do for employers in these sought-after industries to ensure that they are removing the barriers to entry for willing talent. Offering reskilling and upskilling programs can help employers stand out from the crowd and attract workers.”

No matter which sector is considered to be the most attractive, employers must offer compelling employee value propositions to ensure that they attract the best talent.