Darra Singh, chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, said this is because the UK is enjoying an increasingly flexible labour market.
This may have led bodies such as recruitment agencies to widen their nets and look for individuals who have transferable skills learnt in different sectors, he added.
In a recent survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Jobcentre Plus, more than two thirds of jobseekers indicated that they were considering moving into a new industry.
However, despite this motivation, only one in five respondents has taken a training course, while even less have achieved additional qualifications while they look for new work.
Mr Singh pointed out that training subsidies of up to £1,500 are available to businesses which hire people who have been unemployed for a period of six months or longer.
"Thousands of businesses already use our successful Work Trials scheme which allows them to try out a candidate on a trial basis," he added.
Posted by Hayley Edwards
