Jo Le Couilliard, co-owner and manager of Park, says job opportunities, and in particular opportunities for graduates, are at a five year high, reflecting the sentiment of the June 2014 Business Tendency Survey.
The survey’s all-sector Business Activity Indicator improved significantly in the quarter to June 2014, recording its highest positive level to date - the survey was first introduced in 2009.
We are seeing a significant upturn in the number and variety of vacancies available which is reflective of the recently released Business Tendency Survey. The report states that the indicators reviewed for the finance sector - business activity, future employment and profitability – are all strongly positive. This is something we’re clearly seeing in the jobs market with a significant improvement in the number of positions available for jobseekers at all levels.
I would estimate that we have 50% more graduate level positions available today than at the same point last year .We’re also seeing an upturn in the variety of options available to graduates locally – we have opportunities in HR, marketing, accounting, banking, IT, compliance, telecommunications and retail. This year some companies are offering specific two year fast track graduate training programmes which is super news for the island, its workforce and local returning grads.. This renewed emphasis on graduate level recruitment activity is incredibly important for Jersey as it means in four or five years time there will be an experienced talent pool across a broad range of disciplines. The lack of graduate recruitment over the last few years has led to a shortage of experienced trust & compliance administrators today, for example.
We’re also seeing a sustained requirement for complianceprofessionals – a trend that we’ve seen develop throughout the recession. There are also more positions available for business analysts / Business Intelligence Analystsas companies look to develop sophisticated reporting tools to help them produce comprehensive management information to aid strategicbusiness decision making. We have also seen an increase in the number of support vacancies - receptionists, personal assistants and secretaries. This is great news for anyone with these skills and for school leavers looking to get into this field.
The trends we’re seeing are fully reflective of the Business Tendency Survey findings and are great news for all islanders, whatever level or industry your career is focused on. It’s also great news for the economy. We can’t see this positive trend changing, it looks set to continue.