Over half of jobseekers are facing six months or more without a job and 30 per cent have been unemployed for more than 12 months, according to a new survey out today.
More than a third of jobseekers have made over 100 applications, but for a staggering 32 per cent, none or only one job interview.
Although all ages are being affected by unemployment, the majority of respondents are over 45 years old and 47 per cent educated to graduate or post-graduate level, demonstrating that even qualifications and experience are no guarantee of a new job.
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Online outplacement provider MyWorkSearch surveyed its users and found that jobseekers mostly come from banking and finance, construction, IT, manufacturing or retail sectors. However, the difficult job market conditions mean that 79 per cent have changed or considered changing their industry sector to secure work, and 84 per cent have or are willing to apply for a more junior role.
Out of desperation more jobseekers appear to be taking up part-time or temporary work.
Of those who have been fortunate enough to be offered a job, a third have accepted a part-time job offer, when only 13 per cent were in a part-time role before being made unemployed. Similarly just under half have taken an offer of temporary work when only a quarter described their previous employment as temporary.
Pier Walker, 45, has been unemployed for over a year after a long and successful career working for British Airways in its first class cabin crew. Pier says: “I would like a job in customer services. Initially I was quite selective in what I applied for, but now I’m so desperate that I’m looking in any sector. On average I’m making two job applications a day but I have only been able to secure one interview for a permanent role and that has taken months to arrange. I have received no job offers to date.”
Richard Alberg, Founder and CEO of MyWorkSearch, says: “Unemployment is indiscriminately affecting millions of people across the UK; all cross-sections of society are competing in the toughest job market we’ve seen in years. Jobseekers need comprehensive and relevant support to survive the stress of finding a new job but it needs to be flexible to suit a wide range of needs. Online technologies can provide this; it can be tailored to individual requirements and assist in the managing and tracking of large numbers of applications.”
Monday is the most popular day to job search, but over 40 per cent of jobseekers spend their Saturdays sending out applications and over a third continue the search on Sundays. Ten to 11am is the most popular hour to look for a job, but a fifth of respondents job seek in the evenings, even after 8pm, and 15 per cent start the search before 8am.
