Chamber Report Highlights Most ‘In-Demand’ Jobs in Greater Manchester

1 month ago

• ‘Teaching Assistant’ is the role with the most vacancies across GM

• ‘General Nurse’ and ‘Social Care Worker’ also appear in top 5 most sought-after roles in most GM boroughs

A report published by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has revealed that the job role with the highest number of vacancies in Greater Manchester is Teaching Assistant, which placed first or second in eight out of ten boroughs as the most in-demand role across the city region.

General Nurse and Social Care Worker also appeared in the top five most sought-after roles in seven of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs, whereas the highest number of vacancies in Bolton was for Accountants. Manchester also bucked the trend, where Software Developer was the most sought-after role.*

The report has been published as part of the work the Chamber is conducting on the Local Skills Improvement Plan for Greater Manchester, on behalf of the Department for Education, which analyses labour market information, skills and job vacancies, as well as the amount of training undertaken by employees. This data is then used to put together recommendations for colleges and training providers to bridge skills gaps and ensure there are enough people with the correct skills to fill vacancies.

Part of the report also focuses on apprenticeships, analysing the number of apprenticeship starts in key training areas within the construction, manufacturing, health and social care, and digital sectors. Areas such as retrofitting, heat pump installation and steel trades such as welding do not currently have enough apprentices on programmes to meet demand and there are more apprenticeship standards required.**

Commenting on the findings from the report, Chris Fletcher, Policy Director at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Contract Director for the GM Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), said:

“We’ve highlighted the most sought-after roles in Greater Manchester as part of our work on the Local Skills Improvement Plan to show where the local priorities should be in terms of training and skills. We’re currently working with colleges and providers across all boroughs to implement our findings and plug these skills needs.

“As part of our research, we’ve also been speaking to employers across a range of different sectors about their skills and recruitment difficulties. Some of the hiring challenges that businesses have highlighted include a lack of awareness amongst younger people about the range of careers in different industries available to them. Others reported in new and existing staff a lack of people management and leadership skills, which was prevalent across all sectors. All of our findings will be summarised in the second iteration of the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan, which will be published in the summer, but we would urge employers who are struggling to find the appropriate skills to get in touch.”

The Chamber’s update report also includes a number of individual sector analyses, plus information about how data gathered through the LSIP is already being used to improve provision.

The full report can be accessed here: https://my.visme.co/view/y43xm48x-lsip-update-jan-2024

More information about the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan can be found here: https://www.gmlsip.co.uk/

Notes to Editors

Press contact:
Joanna Preihs, GM LSIP Communications and Engagement Manager: joanna.preihs@gmchamber.co.uk or 0161 393 4321.

Notes to editors:

*The Local Area Vacancy Analysis can be found on page 36 of the report. Data was taken from Adzuna, which is a labour market intelligence platform. The analysis looks at the period from May 2023 - October 2023.

** The apprenticeship analysis data can be found on page 47 of the report. The dataset on apprenticeships for the academic year 2022/23 published by the UK government was used for this analysis.

The Chamber’s Deputy Director of Research, Subrah Krishnan-Harihara, is available for interviews/further queries about the research.

About Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce:

• Greater Manchester Chamber is the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, providing first-class business support through a range of tailored services and networking opportunities.
• The Chamber is an independent, not-for-profit private company, working to create a better business environment for its members and is widely considered to be the voice of the Greater Manchester business community.
• The Chamber covers Manchester, Salford, Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Trafford, Tameside and Stockport
• It is an accredited member of the British Chambers of Commerce – one of only 53 chambers across the UK.
• Greater Manchester Chamber was founded in 2004 but traces its roots back to 1794.

About the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs):

• In 2021, the Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making FE provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.
• The aim of the LSIPs is to give employers a stronger voice in shaping local skills provision working closely with FE providers and engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders.
• Led by designated Employer Representative Bodies, LSIPs will set out a clear articulation of employers’ skills needs and the priority changes required in a local area to help ensure post-16 technical education and skills provision is more responsive and flexible in meeting local labour market skills needs.
• LSIPs have already been piloted in eight Trailblazer areas as part of the Skills Accelerator programme.

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About Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, providing business support to approximately 4,500 members who collectively employ 446,000 people, around one-third of Greater Manchester’s workforce. Recognised as a leader in its field, Greater Manchester Chamber’s reputation in government circles has grown locally and nationally. At the heart of the area of greatest economic intensity outside London and the South East, the Chamber is the primary body for business support, policy, representation and networking. The Chamber is an independent, not-for-profit private company and its aim is to support businesses and help create the best climate for the region to prosper. This is achieved by ensuring that those taking decisions on key issues such as transport, taxation and business regulation hear the voice of our members. The representation of our members’ views is central to the work of the policy team at the Chamber; these views are gathered in a range of ways including our local councils, policy committees, sector councils, the main Chamber council, focus groups, meetings with politicians and consultations. The Chamber also offers a range of networking forums across Greater Manchester, free as part of membership, plus a variety of other events and services designed to benefit specific sectors or individuals and help businesses to grow.

Press Contacts

GMCC Comms Team

communicate@gmchamber.co.uk