Reflective Report: UK Job Market Analysis and Career Planning

This reflective report examines the UK job market, focusing on graduate employment opportunities and career planning within the IT sector. Part A analyzes current market trends, including fluctuations from 2006 to 2016, the impact of economic events like the 2008 recession, and the growing importance of the IT sector. The report highlights the preference for experienced candidates and the average salaries for graduates in the UK. Part B outlines the student's intended career plan, aiming for an entry-level position in IT, leveraging part-time experience gained during their final year of education. The report discusses the importance of work experience, graduate training programs, and the student's long-term career goals within an international IT company. The report also considers the potential impact of Brexit on the UK job market, acknowledging the country's role as a gateway to the European market.

Reflective Commentary
Personal Organizational Development
Student Name:
Student ID:
Course Name:
Course ID:
Faculty Name:
University Name:

This reflective report is concerned with understanding the job market of United Kingdom and the
focus would be to find out the number of opportunities I can get in the current situation. The
main goal of this reflective report is to understand where I fit in the job market, the skills I
require to get into the job market and the areas where I am week and can improve to get faster
job. However, prior to assessing my skills, strengths, and weaknesses, it is important that I
understand what is currently happening in the graduate market and the situation of the market
regarding the job requirements and the skills that are important to succeed in securing jobs
quickly. The Part A of this reflective report is concerned with understanding the current
marketplace for graduate employment opportunities and the Part B is about my intended career
plan and assessment of related factors such as suitability, strengths, and weaknesses. In the end,
conclusive remarks have been given regarding the steps that should be considered by me based
on the market requirements, my strengths and weaknesses.
Part A: Current Marketplace for Graduate Employment Opportunities
If the graduate market of United Kingdom is taken into consideration for the current year then it
can be stated that the market has grown appreciably well and there are opportunities that can be
considered appreciable for the graduates coming out of the college this year. Moreover, if the
trend of past five years is considered then it can be witnessed that the market situation is bright.
The report published by HighFliers.co.uk (2016) stated that from the year 2006 to 2016 the
employment market for the graduate has shown huge fluctuations. From the year 2005 to 2006
the percentage change in job opportunities was 10.8%. However, the change from the year 2007
to 2008 was 6.7%. The reason behind such huge variation can be attributed the recessionary
situation of the 2008-2009. During this period the economy dwindled due to series of wrong
financial decisions in the United States real estate and financial industry (Bell and Blachflower,

2010). The impact of this situation was worldwide and particularly on those countries that were
closely dependent on the economy of the United States such as China and most of the European
Union countries. However, after the huge investment from the US government into the market in
the name of bailout package gradually brought the market on track.
The impact of the economic situation was clearly visible on the United Kingdom’s job market
(Gregg and Wadsworth, 2010). On one hand where the fall in 2008 was 6.7%, on the other the
fall in the next year, that is 2009, was huge that is around 17.8%. However, due to the positive
measures considered by the governments around the world, the economic started to come on the
right track. After the positive expectation from the economy, the companies opened their doors
for the graduates and the year 2010 saw huge jump that is around 12%. As per the report, the
opportunities for 2016 were expected to be 7.5% which went to 8.4% around mid-June this year.
The recruitment season in the initial months of session 2014-15 showed that the confidence in
the market from the employers’ perspective has returned.
The sector that has been considered for the job is IT as it has been observed from the past decade
that the Information and Technology grew faster than any other industry. One of the reasons
behind such growth can be the non-restricted access of this sector around the globe. The
companies working in the information and technology are successfully able to access the talent
and labor market from around the world along with the resources. Therefore, moving into the
position of managing the human resources within such organization will be lucrative for
individuals who are looking for the opportunities to interact and handle wide diversity of
individuals.

Based on the studies of the opportunities in the market, it has been identified that the job market
of United Kingdom prefers individuals with work experience. The individuals with work
experience are always preferred upon the graduates with no work experience. In this scenario it
becomes an important aspect for the graduates to induct themselves in some kind of activities
that can allow them get exposure to work environment within the organizations. The job market
provides part time opportunities to fresh graduates who can act as the suitable certification and
proof of experience.
Some of the researches have come to the conclusion that around one in every three job positions
available in the company are filled by the individuals with some kind of previous work
experience. Moreover, it has been also found out that the salaries that are availed by the
graduates in the top companies in the United Kingdom are in the average of 30,000 pound.
Moreover, the top four sectors that are best in case of providing good salaries to the candidates
are investment banking, law, other banking and finance, and oil and energy sector. These
industries provide appreciable salary package to the graduates, provided the graduates have right
skills and qualities to handle the job responsibilities (Cowling et al, 2015).
Whatever one discuss about the opportunities in the job market of United Kingdom, one thing is
certainly clear that without job experience, the individuals will be bound to face challenge in
searching for suitable jobs. However, the big companies are aware that they cannot get
experienced every time for the available positions. Also, the individuals who come with some
experience holds various types of presumptions about the work culture and it becomes sometime
challenging for the companies to train such individuals. However, the fresh graduates are
unaware of anything and they are also not pre-molded into particular work methods. Therefore, it
becomes easier for the organizations to mold the work styles of the graduate according to the

work styles of the organization. The fear of hiring fresh graduate is mostly prevalent among the
organizations of small or medium size. The reason behind such fear is that they have less
resource to toy with and they cannot spend unnecessary time and money on training the
individuals who know nothing. Instead of spending resources in training, they can hire someone
with experience and get them to do the job and start earning revenue from the day one.
Moreover, there is the fear that what will happen if the hired fresh graduate fail to stand on the
expectation of the employer. However, the experience individuals have the experience and a past
track record of the previous that can be assessed by the company to understand the stability and
the quality of the individual.
If the vacancy data of the last year is observed then it can be stated that the industry that is most
lucrative for the job vacancies are accounting and professional services, armed forces, banking
and finance, consulting, investment banking, Information Technology and Telecommunications,
law, and retailing. If the ranking is done then it can be found that the Information Technology
and Telecommunication sector is the most lucrative sector at present in United Kingdom. The
least attractive sector among all is Media. If the overall picture is considered then it can be said
that overall rise is 3.3% which is appreciable growth considering the media and oil and energy
separately.

Figure 1 - The Graduate Market (2016)
If the expected vacancies in the current year are expected to rise further with the Information
Technology and Telecommunication sector providing more opportunities to the fresh graduates
due to the access to the world market. This is just the assumption based on the past data which
contradicts with the assumption made by The Graduate Market Report that stated that the
accounting and professional services firms and public sector companies in the United Kingdom
are likely to recruit more in the year 2016 (Ft.com, 2016).
If all these studies till now are considered, it can be stated that the job market will be lucrative in
the United Kingdom. However, there is one major concern that is expected to impact the job
market and that is the recent initiation process of exit of United Kingdom from the European

Union. The political decision to exit the European Union is expected to impact the job market of
the country in one way or the other (BBC News, 2016). One of important aspect to consider here
is that till now companies from outside United Kingdom used to view the country as the
launching ground into the other European market. However, it is sure that after the exit of the
United Kingdom from the European Union is likely to eliminate the privileges that are currently
enjoyed by the companies that are active in the United Kingdom (BBC News, 2016). Their
market reach is likely to reduce in the days to come. This will impact the reputation of the
country which was earlier seen as the launching ground for other European countries. There is
the possibility that such position will be enjoyed by other countries in the EU such as Germany.
This situation is likely to impact the opening of new companies within the United Kingdom and
the existing one might try to change their base. In such cases, there is unlikely any chance that
the job market will be as lucrative as expected. However, considering the actual researches done
till date by the agencies, it should be assumed that the job market will be positive.
Part B: Intended Career Plan
Based on the study so far, I would consider the Information Technology and Telecommunication
as the preferred sector for the job opportunities. The reason behind the selection of this sector is
not based on the current opportunities provided by this sector to the graduates. It is actually
based on the market accessibility that is possible in the Information Technology and
Telecommunication. Therefore, it can be said that the industry has good promise for its
employees. Moreover, one can easily witness that there are lots of opportunities in the IT sector
even for the non-experienced individuals. There are companies that require completion of tasks
on short term basis which can provide be enough opportunity to gain quick experience and

become industry ready. As identified in the industry research above that the experience is the
most important aspect that is desired by any company that is operational in the country.
Therefore, it is imperative that I gain some experience prior to moving ahead into the job market
(The Graduate Market, 2016). Moreover, as I have currently one more year to complete my
education, so I am planning to engage in some sort of part time activities for the various
companies as a freelancer. This will provide me some opportunity in understanding the working
of the industry and will start getting exposure. Apart from that, the certificates provided by the
companies with whom I will work on part time will act as a proof of experience when I will
actually enter the job market. I assume that these small experiences for the next one year are
likely to help me land an entry level job which I would use an opportunity to build my future
career. At present I am targeting to secure the entry level profile after completing my education
based on the part time experiences I will gain. However, if things do not work out as it is planned
then I will join a good graduate training program. The benefit of the program will be to help it
get further exposure about the industry and understand the aspects that are necessary to secure
the job.
I am looking ten years from now and see me positioned at appreciable job profile in an
international IT company. My next two year is going to be spent in completing the education,
gaining experience through part time jobs from IT sector, and engaging in graduating training
program. After that I expect myself to be prepared enough for the job market with appropriate
experience at hand for a candidate of entry level job. I will spend my three years working for the
same company gradually increasing my experience and knowledge and learning about the
industry even further. After that, I look for opportunities in the international companies that
provide stable job profiles with appreciable learning and growth opportunities.

Assessment of Suitability
Based on the various feedbacks I have received so far in my seminar activities and other forms of
tests, I can state that my skills are not close enough to what is required in the job market. There is
lot of things that I should be working on to improve my suitability for the position. At present
my major focus is on learning whatever is taught in my final year and relate it strongly with the
actual market scenario. At present the soft skills that are required in the employment sector is
appreciably well. Some of the soft skills are motivation, positive attitude towards learning,
ability to work in team, and should be able to work alone on individual projects. Considering
these factors, I can say that I stand quite well on all these aspects. The recent test scores on the
various tests showed that I am self-motivated and does not need external factors to constantly
push me towards doing my activities. Moreover, as per the positive learning attitude is
considered, I can say that I have engaged in various learning activities on my own and learned
new things even it was not directly connected with my course curriculum.
As per the ability to work in team is concerned, I can say that I have worked well with teams in
my educational time and I am sure I can work well even in the company. The important aspect in
working in team is coordinating with the team members effectively by properly communicating
about the progress, understanding and respecting what is being said by the other team members
and responding in manner that clears the present confusion instead of creating it. Such
understanding to work is what I believe makes a suitable candidate to work in the team. There
have been times when I have also worked on individual projects and I have done quite well. The
important aspects in it are to continuously staying motivated towards the work without any
external stimuli and keep progressing.

Identification of Strengths and Weaknesses
I have chosen the entry level position after completing my next year education. There are various
strengths and weaknesses that I have identified that are suitable and unsuitable for the job market
respectively. As I have planned to enter into the job market in the third year, which is after a year
of completing my education and spending my time with graduate training programs, I believe
most of my weaknesses will be covered by then to prepare me for the job market. Some of the
strengths that have been identified are the presence of few important soft skills, as mentioned
earlier. As assessed in the literature review, the employers will be focusing on the employability
and experience. The lack of experience is my biggest weakness which eventually impacts my
employability skills. As per the academic knowledge is concerned, I think there are some areas
where improvements is required. Some theoretical aspects that are asked in the interviews need
to be read thoroughly. Moreover, the companies require enough computer literacy from a
candidate joining the company and as the sector I prefer to enter after a year or two is IT,
therefore it becomes an important aspect that I am capable of performing necessary job on the
computer. At present I am pretty comfortable with various aspects of computer skills. However,
after working on the part time jobs, as stated earlier, if I will find that I lack some knowledge I
will make sure to improve in the next two years.
Conclusion
In the end, it can be stated that the job market in the United Kingdom is appreciably well in the
days. However, there is expectation that the Brexit might impact the job market and it can be
considered to be of short term. Based on the study so far, Information Technology and
Telecommunication was found to be the attractive industry. I have selected the industry as my

first choice and am expected to prepare for the next two years to get an appreciable position in
this industry.
Based on the analysis of my strengths and weaknesses, and what is required in the market, I have
reached to the conclusion that there are certain things I need to work on to improve my
employability. The first thing I will do is I will focus on gaining more knowledge in the next
year. After that, I will focus on gaining experience certificates through working part time for IT
companies. Moreover, I will also focus on getting longer internship opportunity in the preferred
company. I will induct myself for the one year in graduate training program to prepare myself for
the job market. Also, I will spend time identifying the computer skills that are required by the
industry and will improve it gradually.

References
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Institute Economic Review, 214(1), R3-R25.
Gregg, P., & Wadsworth, J. (2010). The UK labour market and the 2008-9 recession. National
Institute Economic Review, 212(1), R61-R72.
Elsby, M. W., & Smith, J. C. (2010). The great recession in the UK labour market: a transatlantic
perspective. National Institute Economic Review, 214(1), R26-R37.
Cowling, M., Liu, W., Ledger, A., & Zhang, N. (2015). What really happens to small and
medium-sized enterprises in a global economic recession? UK evidence on sales and job
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37242204 [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016].
Clegg, R. (2016). UK labour market- Office for National Statistics. [online] Ons.gov.uk.
Available at:
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The Graduate Market, (2016). The Graduate Market. http://www.highfliers.co.uk/.