Cumbria is a very distinct region, both in geography and population and when you are recruiting for businesses this can pose a real challenge when looking for a specific skill set or level of experience.
We have been looking at some interesting information regarding Cumbria from the Observatory website and thought it was worth sharing. So Cumbria has a distinct ageing population. Over the period of 2012 to 2026 there will be a 4% drop in the working age population. There is a significantly higher proportion of individuals who are in the 45+ age bracket and a lower proportion in the lower age brackets. This is shouting out that in the next 10 – 15 years it will be even harder to find candidates for certain jobs where there may already be a skill shortage. The figures also highlighted a net decrease in population and that more people left the county than migrated into it.
Some recent figures show that between May and July 2013 there were 5372 jobs posted for Cumbria. Most of these were in the Health Sector and most were based in the Carlisle commuting area. The most in demand specialised skills from the postings were Sales, Accountancy, Purchasing and Engineering.
Between June and July 2013 the JSA claimant count fell to its lowest since December 2010, this also represented the 5th consecutive monthly fall.
Interestingly, the figures we saw highlighted that Cumbria has a higher proportion that the UK average of salaries £30,000 and below, and a lower proportion than the UK average of salaries £30,000 and above.
So what does the above show us in relation to recruitment, jobs and skills in Cumbria. With a decreasing population and an ageing population we are probably going to be facing a major skills shortage over the coming years. We find certain areas where it’s very difficult to find the right skill set for businesses, such as sales positions, and this will get tougher. Surprisingly, we saw a net migration out of the county. We thought the opposite would be true, we have a number of enquiries from individuals who are looking to relocate into Cumbria, whether this is for family reasons or work life balance, and most of these are highly skilled individuals.
Most salaries are £30,000 and below, as a higher proportion of employment is in the caring profession, leisure and retail where typical salaries are lower. Roles that are £30,000 and above are fewer and far between but the skills available to fill such positions are also more scarce. This is where Six Degrees can play our part. We know how tough it can be to find the right level of experience for skilled roles and we utilise various methods to find candidates, both active and proactive on the jobs market.
What the above information shows is that in the future, finding the right skills set for jobs is probably only going to get harder.