2 out of 3 of jobseekers have applied for 11 or more jobs, with a third (32%) not reaching interview stage
41% believe government cuts pose the biggest threat to the jobs market
Over a quarter (27%) of jobseekers expect to still be looking for work in 12 months time, as jobseekers confidence continues to collapse the totaljobs.com survey of nearly 6,000 jobseekers revealed nearly a fifth (17%) have been seeking employment for over 12 months already.
The news comes as the latest ONS employment statistics reveal that long term unemployment increased by 60,000 in the three months from May to reach 867,000. With rising unemployment a cause for concern, 41% of jobseekers believe that government cuts pose the biggest threat to them, followed by a quarter (26%) of jobseekers who blame the private sector’s inability to offset the jobs lost in the public sector.
Jobseekers in Scotland were the least positive about their future employment prospects, with only 35% confident in finding a job within a year; followed by jobseekers in the North East (37%) and North West (41%).
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The south seems to fare better than those north of the border, with Londoners having the most confidence, with 46% of jobseekers positive about finding a job in 12 months.
John Salt, Website Director, Totaljobs.com says of the findings: “The collapse in jobseeker confidence is hardly surprising given the current disaster of the labour market. The young, the old, as well as women in particular are all facing tough times as unemployment continues to rise as a result of turgid growth and devastating cuts, which are hitting those areas most beset by depressed confidence and least likely to create private sector jobs.”
These findings are reflected in the recent Totaljobs Barometer showing that on average in September there were 23 applications for every job in the UK, with the most competitive area being the South East, which saw 33 applications for each role, followed by the North East and North West which received 23 applications per job.[2]
Two in every three jobseekers (64%) surveyed has applied for 11 jobs or more since they began the search and a third (32%) have not yet been invited to a single interview. The research also showed that nearly half (47%) of jobseekers have been declined a job for not having enough experience, putting jobseekers in a difficult place, as 70% believe unpaid internships create an uneven playing field and only 55% are willing to undertake unpaid work to gather the experience.
John Salt, director of totaljobs.com says of the statistics:
“The competitive job market can appear daunting, but there are ways of making your application stand out from the crowd that don’t require undertaking unpaid internships. By being creative in the application process employers can see more of your personality as well as your skills, one such example would be a video CV. Also don’t be shy, get in front of the employers, ask them for advice, take them for a coffee – you may get a personal recommendation. Finally it’s important to be flexible as it really is a recruiters market out there. This may mean compromising on pay and working conditions, or require relocation.”
