Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsInflationJob creation and lossesLabour market

Pandemic shifted labour market to low-skill, low pay

by Jo Faragher 25 Apr 2022
by Jo Faragher 25 Apr 2022
Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Unemployed workers face more job opportunities that match their skills now than they did pre-pandemic, according to labour market research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

However, this is offset by the fact many of these roles are lower-skilled and lower-paid, the think tank said.

Its analysis of job data from Adzuna, combined with information from the government’s Labour Force Survey, shows that the mix of occupations being advertised is “rapidly returning” to how it was in 2019, albeit with a shift towards lower-paid roles such as drivers or warehouse workers.

It also found that the composition of roles available today may reflect the fact there is high turnover in the labour market at present, thanks to employers trying to backfill skills shortages due to Brexit and factors such as early retirement.

That said, the overall level of change in the mix of jobs on offer is “no greater than it was during the more ‘normal’ period between 2017 and 2019”.

Labour market

Inflation to impact labour market more than pandemic

Myth of rapid labour market change exposed by new study

Podcast: Recruitment pitfalls

The IFS found that the number of vacancies has been at least 20% above pre-pandemic levels since Autumn 2021.

However, some sectors have seen the number of vacancies increase at a higher rate. Vacancies for drivers were 80% higher in the five months to February 2022, and vacancies for warehouse workers had doubled. At the same time, demand for nursing and midwifery professionals declined when compared with pre-pandemic levels.

This does mean that job market opportunities have improved for lower-educated workers, however. Seventy percent of unemployed workers without a degree had more opportunities than they did pre-pandemic, compared to 44% of those with a degree.

Xiaowei Xu, senior research economist at IFS and an author of the report, said the shift towards lower-skilled occupations was “potentially concerning”.

“There are signs that vacancies today are still affected by transitory factors, for example pent-up demand for job moves over the pandemic and the fall in EU migrants, so it is possible that this will fade over time,” she said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“That said, the specific occupations that have seen large increases in vacancies – drivers and warehouse workers – are consistent with a shift in consumer preferences towards home delivery, which could indicate a more permanent change in labour demand.”

Workforce planning opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more workforce planning jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
P&O Ferries denies claims about cuts to agency workers’ wages
next post
Occupational asthma guidance emphasises importance of health screening

You may also like

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

Immigration white paper: which jobs will be affected?

19 May 2025

Public sector needs 92,000 more workers to remain...

19 May 2025

Burberry puts 1,700 jobs at risk in cost-cutting...

14 May 2025

ONS: Slower wage growth but rising unemployment

13 May 2025

Downturn in hiring activity eased in April

12 May 2025

CIPD links Employment Rights Bill with low business...

12 May 2025

UK-US deal saves ‘thousands’ of jobs in car...

9 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+